CarComplaints.com Notes: On August 16th, 2012 Jeep stopped production of the the Jeep Liberty, marking the end of a troublesome journey for the SUV.

All in all, the 2012 Liberty actually excels off-road, but since 99% of drivers never take this thing off pavement, that becomes somewhat of a moot point. The Liberty suffers from the worst fuel economy in its class (16/22 MPG) and offers an uncomfortable ride with suspect braking ability.

6.9

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,130 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Jeep Liberty engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Jeep Liberty Owner Comments

problem #6

Feb 162016

Liberty 4WD 6-cyl

  • 37,199 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Heater would not send heat to floor setting. Told by dealer that heater melted parts of housing-distribution to the point that it would not work anymore. Also said I had to replace heater core since they were known to go bad also. The dealer, szott M59 Chrysler Jeep, said they were having to replace lots of the housings and heater cores on this model because of melting and plugging problems. Told by dealer that it was an engineering problem and Jeep knew about it and was trying to correct it. My problem is they still wanted almost $1000 to fix it, after discount from almost $1200, when they admitted it was a poorly designed system that the Jeep engineers were working on to repair. Also, what if it happens again just because I use the heater and it melts itself again to the point of not working? I feel that if they know this is a common problem, and the dealer says it has to replace a lot of the units, Jeep should be covering the cost of repairs. I have the old part here at home if you would like to inspect it. Thank you.

- Waterford, MI, USA

problem #5

Apr 152014

Liberty 6-cyl

  • miles
No second notification was received by mail as it had been indicated by the recall notice: "what your dealer will do...Chrysler intends to repair your vehicle free of charge (parts and labor). However, the parts required to provide a permanent remedy for this condition are currently not available. Chrysler is making every effort to obtain these parts as quickly as possible. Chrysler will contact you again by mail, with a follow-up recall notice, when the remedy parts are available." The last sentence was underlined on the notice. No 2nd notification was mailed. I complained at an oil change, and I received an email shortly after "reminding" me to have it done. Several months, maybe even almost a year, had passed.

- Castle Rock, CO, USA

problem #4

Jun 142013

Liberty 6-cyl

  • 11,000 miles
Air conditioner was blowing warm air. It happen in June 2013 and Aug 24, 2013.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #3

Mar 032013

Liberty 6-cyl

  • 6,450 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

After going thru a car wash, I was touching up the back of the vehicle when I noticed the exhaust pipe was rusted. I called the dealership on mon, stated my finding and reminded the service rep that I had purchased the vehicle brand new ~6 months ago (therefore was under warranty) I set up to drop it off on wed @12pm. ~ 30 minutes, after I was shuttled to work, the service mgr called and told me the rust was normal and only "surface rust". however, is going to replace it to keep the customer service up. I suggested some sort of coating to prevent another premature rusting, being many other occurrences have been reported but was told that can't be done. I hope tom when I am picked up to retrieve my Jeep that I won't be disappointed!

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #2

Feb 282012

Liberty 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 15 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that excessive light blue/gray smoke emits from the exhaust/tail pipe upon starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the smoke was water vapor. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that she only noticed the smoke when the vehicle had been sitting for two hours. The manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 15. Updated 07/13/12 updated 07/18/12

- Englewood, CO, USA

problem #1

Jan 022012

Liberty 6-cyl

  • 115 miles
Vehicle has a eco-mode to reserve excessive fuel usage. When traveling at a speed to exceed 45 mph the vehicle reacts with a bad vibration and shake as if there is a flat tire or something. When coming to a complete stop the vehicle shakes as if there is a defect with the rotors or brakes. When taking off, there is a kick when attempting to first accelerate especially at a traffic stop/intersection. Vehicle has been serviced at the sport durst Chrysler Jeep in durham nc and it has been declared as "drone mode which is unknown cause of issue- unrepairable." Service department conferenced with Chrysler Corp. Customer service and has concluded that vehicle is recommended for buy back under lemon laws. No further action has yet been taken. Vehicle is currently unsafe and undriveable. Need another vehicle immediately.

- Durham, NC, USA

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