Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
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).
The electrical system fails from winter to summer causing miscellaneous information to the computer, the auto can overheat, it can also clear down and open failure of gasoline. The ball joints fail truly. It happened to me in three occasions when I circulated by the city when crossing on a street, while passing a tumble, and on a terrace street. The front brake system breaks causing brake liquid leaks this is caused by the warming of parts and dirt. I saw the stain in the soil when I park in my garage and check.
I was coming home the day before the holiday. It was a busy day around 4:30 pm. I began heading down the heel and the car just turned off. I was unable to restart, steer, brake or control any aspect of the car. Unfortunately when the car stopped, it threw me forward into the dash. Fortunately, the gentleman that was in front of me saw me waving and yelling I couldn't stop and risked his life by pulling in front of the oncoming traffic to allow my car to continue soaring down the hill. Once I reached the bottom of the hill, my vehicle came to rest between two lanes of a four lane road. Mind you this road has hills coming from both ways. Fortunately again, a tow truck driver came along and stopped traffic until he could safely tow me into my driveway (free of charge). When I tried starting the vehicle again it ran like it was about to blow up and rattled something terrible. …
The brakes on my 2005 Jeep Liberty failed in a mall parking lot and caused an accident. Only 1-1/2 months earlier I had rear brakes replaced at the suggestion of the dealership (mileage was 25,000 miles). The dealership near the accident site said there was nothing wrong. I took it back to the original dealership where I purchased the vehicle (twice), and they said they checked everything and could find no problem. The brakes failed twice since the accident; fortunately there were no vehicles or pedestrians around. There are times when braking that it feels like the brakes are slipping. I am afraid to drive the vehicle. Contacted Jeep complaint line and there is nothing they will do because I have no physical evidence there is a problem. …
While driving the vehicle in a busy highway the steering becomes heavy and some fluid splashed on the front windshield and suddenly lost steering and gearing .I forced the vehicle to the shoulder and stepped out of it to check what went wrong. There was no light indicator or overheating. As soon as I stepped out of the car it starts rolling backward, so it lost braking as well..I was panicking and picturing how many accidents and toll death would have happened on the scene. One moving car had collided with my vehicle while it was rolling backward and two people got injured. The police have been notified and my Jeep got towed as it is not drivable. I have contact Chrysler and they return my call and promise to send their engineer to investigate and find out what went wrong without warring and it could have caused a total disaster on 95 north .
I was driving down my 3/10 mile private road, approximately a 12% grade with brake pedal engaged when suddenly the pedal went to the floor and the steering wheel locked. The car went 150' & down a 12' embankment head first onto a gravel drive and landed upside down. I was conscious at all times and crawled out the passenger side window. It was an hour before I was found. I had 2 broken legs & cracked 2nd vertebra. I spent 5 months in hospitals & a nursing home with a halo on my head & fixators on my legs. The car was totaled.
2005 Jeep Liberty ltd , was having brake problems. It was shimmying etc, when I put on brakes and at times the pedal went to the floor. I was involved in an accident when my Jeep would not stop when I put on brakes. I rearended someone. I had a mechanic check this out before accident and could not find anything wrong. I have owned 3 jeeps in my life time and never had problems. I have a $3000 repair to my car because of brake failure, plus the airbags did not come out. I expect someone to contact me immediately.
When breaking on anything other than drive pavement all four tires lock up. I have gone through numerous intersections and stop signs and been lucky enough to not hit anyone. I now have to approach stop signs and lights that have any incline by pumping my breaks and coming to a crawl. This never happened with my 2003 and it didnt happen when I first bought the Jeep. Since I live in maine where winters are bad it is very troubling and stressful.
Parking/emergency brake does not hold the vehicle. Brakes have been replaced and inspected in good condition. This model is equipped with an auto-adjusting system that does not auto adjust as stated in the service manual. Vehicle has popped out of gear and coasted from its parking spot with parking brake fully applied. (see complaint 10897627 for manual transmission complaint). No recalls or service bulletin relating to this safety issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. While driving over a bump at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle suddenly began to shake and vibrate when pressing the brake pedal. The contact indicated that the ABS sensor light later illuminated. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,547. Updated 11/09/15
Tried to start my Jeep with putting car keys in the ignition, nothing happened, so since I have remote car keys I tried them on the outside of the street and car did start. So now I dont know what to do cause now I need to use my remote car keys. It also makes some noises when you back up the car.
Brake complaints in other Liberty years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2005 Jeep Liberty?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the brakes of the 2005 Jeep Liberty, 3% of the model year's 1,118 complaints. The component named most often is foundation components › master cylinder (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Jeep Liberty brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes 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 brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 37,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 4 injuries and 1 death to brakes 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.