Steering complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lurched to the right out of the lane. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering functionality and excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle back into the lane. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated the failure had become constant and had stopped driving the vehicle. The contact towed the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rack and pinon, power steering kit, and brakes needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred after retrieving the vehicle from the dealer. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.
I started off by driving down hill on highway 40. All vehicle lights lit up on dashboard, enging stalled, no brakes or steering. I shifted the vehicle to neutral and was able to come to a stop on the shoulder of the road when the vehicle started up the next hill. No turns, the road was straight. Turned the key off and restarted the vehicle, and the Jeep ran fine. Later that day in a parking lot, the same thing happened. Started the vehicle, started to pull out of the parking lot, all of the dashboard lights came on, the engine stalled and had no brakes or steering. Placed the vehicle in neutral until the Jeep came to a stop, turned the key off, then restarted the vehicle and the Jeep ran OK until we got home.
I was driving 45 in a 45 MPH zone in the suburbs of mesa, az suddenly my Jeep Liberty pulled severely to right causing me to hit a 3 ft diameter poll. Air bag deployed as expected but the force of air bag blew a 8 inch hole in airbag and severely broke my chest cavity and abdomen causing spleen rupture and blood and toxins in my spinal fluid. My impression of airbags is to prevent injury not cause injury. Please investigate to prevent this from happening to other Jeep Liberty owners. Was in trauma medical center for 6 days and still home painfully healing. Steering and airbag May be defective. My Jeep was totaled. Have not received police or insurance report yet. Still waiting but needed to report hopefully to prevent others from possible injury
Low speed head on collision with Jeep Liberty 2011 no airbag deployment, all forces came thru steering column resulting in partial internal amputation of right hand, breking of left hand...no recall repairs ever done, am 3rd owner of vehicle,,,recalls specified in 2011,2013,and after crash in 2016
Had 4 new Goodyear wrangler sra tires installed by sam's club on 5/3/2014.bought lifetime rotation/balance package at that time. Have tires rotated/balanced routinely. Alignment goes out each time and steering wheel also ends up out of the proper position. Alignment is completed by a specialty shop. The shop tells me I have at least one or more defective tires. Informed sam's club of issue on 4/10/2015 during the rotation/balance. Had alignment done the previous day. Sam's club denied any issue with these tires and would not follow up on it. Have learned to rotate/balance first, then do alignment. Certainly will not purchase Goodyear again!
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH the steering wheel became unresponsive and the vehicle crashed into a guard rail, flipped over twice and landed in an embankment. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact had to be cut out of the vehicle. She suffered a cut on her neck, several abrasions, bruises, and various other injuries to her back. Two days after the crash she received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 13V121000 (air bags , power train , structure). The failure and current mileage was 80,000.
Subject: Inquiry Regarding Ball Joint and Control Arm Issues on My 2007 Jeep Liberty Dear support tech, I am writing to express my concerns regarding recurring issues with my 2007 Jeep Liberty, specifically with the driver-side ball joint and control arm. In 2019, I had the driver-side ball joint replaced at Firestone. However, on [redacted], I experienced a serious issue when the wheel became stuck while reversing out of a parking space. Fortunately, it occurred at low speed, and the vehicle was towed through my insurance. A family member was able to fix it temporarily. More recently, on February 25, 2025, I had new wheels installed at Firestone, where I was informed that there is an issue with both the front control arm and the left and right ball joints. Given that I don't drive at high speeds and use the vehicle less frequently now, this seems unusual and concerning. …
12/8/2020: my daughter had just returned home from college literally that morning driving through nyc to de. That afternoon she went out to see a friend and thought she had a flat tire while driving at about 50 MPH and struggled to pull over. It was at night so we couldn't see the damage. We called aaa to come change the tire. He examined the fluid under the tire and then it was obvious that tire rod fell and punctured the tire. We could also see a long black trail where the tire rod dragged on the road before she could stop. The tow truck driver said if she didn't stop when she did she would have fell into the deep ditch next to it and it would have flipped over. Considering it was dark she was lucky and even luckier this didn't happen on the highway in nyc only a few hours earlier. …
Related recalls (1)
Steering › Column
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2011dodge journey, Jeep wrangler, Chrysler 200, Chrysler 200 convertible, Dodge avenger, Dodge nitro, Jeep liberty, Dodge caliber, Jeep compass, Jeep patriot, Dodge grand caravan and Chrysler town & country vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect for rivet presence and alignment and repair the steering column pivot as required, free of charge. The safety recall began on July 4, 2011. Owners May contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Frequently asked questions
Which Jeep Liberty years have steering problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2002 (78), 2005 (61), 2004 (54), 2003 (52) and 2006 (51) model years. Steering complaints make up 4% of all complaints for the 2002.
Is there a recall for Jeep Liberty steering problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 11V-315 (column, Jun 8, 2011). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Jeep Liberty steering problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles; 30% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the linkages › tie rod assembly (9 mentions), followed by the column (9).
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.