Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Jeep Liberty owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Making a left turn onto a major route at 30 MPH when all of a sudden the vehicle takes off on it's own and begins to swerve picking up speed while both my feet are off of the pedals. It hits one concrete wall on a bridge and proceeds to cross yellow line picking up more speed before smashing straight into other concrete wall. It's the only thing that stopped this vehicle from continuing on. Air bags went off and split expelling strange odor. A Jeep dealer commented that either a sensor went or accelerator pedal had stuck. I could not straighten the vehicle out by steering at all.
The 2005 Jeep Liberty in which we were riding accelerated while I was depressing the brake pedal. This happened twice. The first time, I thought that perhaps I had hit the accelerator accidentally. The second time (the very next time we started the Jeep), I had my foot on the brake to slow our descent down a long driveway. I am positive my foot was on the brake. The Jeep lunged forward and picked up speed. The only way I could stop was to turn into an embankment. The Jeep overturned. The accident occurred on December 26, 2008 and was reported that day to the police and our insurance company. The 2010 Toyota incidents have prompted me to report this incident, but the accident occurred a year earlier. Again, I repeat: the brake pedal was depressed; this was not a case of accidentally hitting the accelerator.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving approximately 3 MPH in the driveway, the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle unexpectedly accelerated without and then crashed into the side of a brick house and two other parked vehicles. The driver sustained a minor injury to the shoulder. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 83,696.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving in reverse approximately 2 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated. The vehicle failed to decelerate and crashed into the rear bumper of a parked vehicle. The contact applied the brakes and the emergency brake in order to come to a complete stop. The contact was not injured and there was no police report. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 53,400.
While waiting at a traffic light the vehicle started to accelerate and struck the vehicle ahead of it. The brake pedal was applied with both feet but this not stop the vehicle. This has happened on more than one occasion, but this time there was property damage.
2005 Jeep Liberty crd will "sling shot" itself when starting from a stop with the A/C on. When you start to accelerate making a turn from being stopped the vehicle will start to move and you can feel, hear the engine gaining RPM but not movement then a sudden slingshot effect will take place. The selling dealer said it was normal for a diesel engine with a turbo to do this. Also stated it was in the electronics and there wasn't any thing they could do to repair it. I would have to wait for a factory bulletin to come out. This new vehicle pulls to the right constantly, I requested the alignment to be corrected during the same dealership visit as above. I was told my alignment was checked and there was no abnormal tire wear so it must be the crown of the road causing the pull or drift. …
On my way home from work I made a stop to the store. I drive major interstates to & from work. I was getting back on I-74w. There is major construction going on & it's heavy traffic time. I got on the ramp to blend in with the traffic & before I could ,the throttle stuck on wide open. I was trying to merge & control the vehicle at the same time. I continually rode the brakes to hold the car at bay. If I let off the brake, the throttle was still stuck & took off with pace. I kept applying the brake I started to smell something burn. All of a sudden the dash warning light came on . This is minutes after I started with the problem. The electronic throttle control light was flashing. As soon as I got out of the construction zone I pulled the car over & shut the motor off. I called the dealership service department, and they had the vehicle towed in. …
At approx 8:00 on the morning of 2/16/15 my 2005 Jeep Liberty, 3.8l v-6 with automatic transmission began to accelerate out of control while braking for a stop sign. The engine was cold, I had just started it and the temperature was in the mid to upper 50s. I was traveling about 27 MPH, and began to slow for the stop. At about 10-15 MPH, I noticed the car was no longer slowing down. It seemed as though the brakes stopped working. At the same time, the engine briefly revved on its own. This made the car accelerate. I could not stop at the stop sign and the car accelerated into 50 MPH cross traffic. I made a hard right turn to bring the car next to the curb, allowing room for traffic to go by. At the same time, I put the transmission into neutral and that allowed the car to stop. I then put the car into park and revved the engine. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked with the engine on when it suddenly accelerated without warning and reached 5,000 rpms. She was able to turn the key to power the vehicle off however, the vehicle continued to run, causing the motor to fail. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The current and failure mileages were 72,256. Updated 10/19/11 the consumer stated he started the Jeep and allowed the vehicle to idle. While in park, the accelerator pedal, by itself depressed and the motor accelerator to 5,000 RPM accoring to the intrument panel. The consumer immediately turned the key in the ignition to off and pulled the key out. The motor did not shut off. This continued for a short period of time until the motor seized from running at that capacity. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. While the contact was driving 25 MPH he depressed the brake pedal as he was approaching a traffic light but the vehicle accelerated. He was able to stop the vehicle without incident and notified the manufacturer of the failure. The manufacturer advised him to have a diagnostic test performed by the dealer to determine the exact cause of the failure. The contact stated that he would take the vehicle to an independent mechanic but not to an authorized dealer since the dealer would not disclose the actual cause of the failure. The contact also stated the failure occurred approximately two additional times, when braking while approaching a traffic light. The failure and current mileages were 29,000. Updated 11/03/10 updated 11/04/10
Acceleration complaints in other Liberty years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2005 Jeep Liberty?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2005 Jeep Liberty, 2% of the model year's 1,118 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Jeep Liberty acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2005 Jeep Liberty, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Jeep Liberty acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 35,000 miles, and 30% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 1 fire and 6 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.