To bring off-roading prowess to the compact SUV segment, Jeep brought the Liberty to the market and the vehicle lives up to the brand’s reputation too. The Liberty has shown that it can be relied upon as a daily driver too, like its dependability while going off the roads. For the 2012 model year, the SUV faces 364 official complaints along with 2 recalls. Also, the SUV has been investigated five times by the NHTSA regarding door fires, TIPM system failures, occupant restraint controller failure, airbag control unit electrical overstress, and airbag inflator rupture issues. The recalls were issued to address the TIPM problems and the non-deployment of active head restraints problems, respectively. The SUV challenges the Nissan Xterra, the Mazda CX-7, and the Toyota FJ Cruiser in its class.
Jeep Liberty user complaints and problems
Engine problems
- Engine stalling: The engine stalling issue did trouble several owners of the Jeep Liberty. Even though the owners took their vehicles to the dealerships, no solid reasons for the failures were stated by the latter to the owners.
- Engine overheating: Multiple cases of engine overheating were reported against the 2012 Jeep Liberty. In one case, the transmission and the pistons were found to be faulty and were replaced. In another instance, the water pump and the thermostat were the reason behind the overheating and were replaced as well.
- Engine fire: Unfortunately, more than a couple of cases of engine fires were reported by the affected users. In a few instances, the engine fires started after the engines overheated. After the overheating, there was smoke emitting from the engines which ultimately led to fires.
- Loud clunk noises from transmission: A handful of new Jeep Liberty units faced this issue. The owners stated in their reports that while shifting, the transmissions made loud clunking noises and put stress on the u-joints of both the transmission and the driveshafts. As a result, there were chances of early failures of both the parts as well.
Safety problems
- Airbag warning light staying illuminated: Due to the occupant restraint system fault, the airbag warning lights of the affected vehicles came on and stayed that way. Even though the brand did issue a recall to fix it, a lot of owners were denied the fix by the dealerships due to the unavailability of the parts.
- Brakes locking up: The brakes of several 2012 Jeep Liberty models locked up while driving. Due to the faulty brake wires and premature warping of the brake pads, the brakes failed or were locked up in various driving scenarios.
Miscellaneous problems
- Faulty sky slider on the roof: Several 2012 Jeep Liberty models are equipped with the sky slider on their roof. Due to some manufacturing defects, the sliders either shattered while driving or some parts of the slider assembly broke off while the vehicles were in motion. It also posed a safety concern too for both the drivers and the occupants.
2012 Jeep Liberty recalls
|
S.No. |
Recall Date |
NHTSA Campaign ID |
Issues noticed |
Additional remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
July 2, 2013 |
13V282000 |
Non-Deployment of Head Restraints |
In the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of the active head restraints, their non-deployment could increase the risk of injury. |
Chrysler will notify the owners, and the dealers will flash the Totally Integrated Power Module or replace the occupant restraint control module, as needed, free of charge. The recall began on November 19, 2013. |
|
2 |
October 10, 2017 |
17V640000 |
Active Headrests may not Deploy in a Crash |
If the active headrests do not deploy in certain rear-end crashes, the front seat occupants have an increased risk of injury. |
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ORC as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 4, 2017. |
Should you buy a used Jeep Liberty?
The Jeep Liberty aims to provide the compact SUV buyers with a good taste of off-roading as well as utility and it does so successfully as well. Apart from the impressive off-roading prowess, the other aspects of the Liberty lack to quite an extent if compared to its peers. On the reliability aspect too, the SUV falls short since it has plagued a lot of owners with issues such as the sky slider problems and airbag failures. The brand did issue recalls for the problems but the owners were denied the repairs due to the unavailability of parts. Due to the cases of engine fires, we cannot recommend the Jeep Liberty. On the contrary, you can opt for the Nissan Xterra which has an impressive reliability aspect along with commendable off-roading prowess too.
