2003 Jeep Liberty Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Liberty years
- Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 13 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 7 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 1,352 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Jeep Liberty. That ranks 3rd out of 13 Liberty model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is suspension (437 complaints, 32%), typically at around 55,000 miles. Complaints mention 134 crashes, 11 fires, 171 injuries. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 8 defect investigations involving it.

- 1,352owner complaints
- 7safety recalls
- 8NHTSA investigations
- 134complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2003 Jeep Liberty problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension problems | 437 | 32% | 55,000 | “lower ball” (55%) | $680 |
| Air Bags problems | 392 | 29% | 120,000 | “air bag” (32%) | — |
| Structure problems | 111 | 8% | 105,500 | “fuel gasoline structure” (62%) | — |
| Visibility problems | 92 | 7% | 70,000 | “window regulator” (29%) | $610 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline problems | 89 | 7% | 98,000 | “fuel gasoline structure” (56%) | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System problems | 83 | 6% | 135,004 | “fuel gasoline structure” (60%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 72 | 5% | 69,000 | “ignition switch” (7%) | — |
| Power Train problems | 64 | 5% | 34,500 | “automatic transmission” (9%) | — |
| Steering problems | 52 | 4% | 80,200 | “ball joints” (23%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 42 | 3% | 44,625 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 36 | 3% | 119,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 32 | 2% | 102,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 29 | 2% | 21,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 28 | 2% | 104,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 26 | 2% | 29,800 | — | — |
| Engine | 25 | 2% | 150,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 16 | 1% | 109,492 | — | — |
| Tires | 13 | 1% | 43,025 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 12 | 1% | 140,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 10 | 1% | 36,910 | — | — |
| Seats | 9 | 1% | 84,300 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 6 | 0% | 64,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 5 | 0% | 58,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 5 | 0% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 3 | 0% | 160,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 3 | 0% | 22,000 | — | — |
| Trailer Hitches | 2 | 0% | 90,548 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | 190,000 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 0% | 117,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2003 Jeep Liberty recalls (7)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:side/window
Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2003 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured March 29, 2003, to July 3, 2003, and 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured May 27, 2003, to May 20, 2004. Due to electrical noise beyond the tolerance of the air bag electronic control module (ECM), a component in the ECM may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.
Risk: Inadvertent deployment of the air bags may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag electronic control module and the side impact sensors, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 5, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R60.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured January 9, 2001, to March 28, 2003, 2002-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 13, 2001, to May 23 2003, and 2003-2004 Dodge Viper vehicles manufactured November 1, 2001, to June 30, 2004. Due to electrical noise beyond the tolerance of the air bag electronic control module (ECM), a component in the ECM may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.
Risk: Inadvertent deployment of the air bags may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Chrysler dealers will replace the air bag control module and side impact sensors as required, free of charge. This recall remedy was applied during earlier recall campaigns of these vehicles under safety recalls 12V527 and 13V040. All owners that have not had the recall repair performed under safety recalls 12V527 or 13V040 are strongly encouraged to have it performed and not wait for the final remedy to be deployed to the field. The recall began on December 29, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R06.
Structure; fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly
Problem: Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 1993-1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty vehicles. The fuel tanks in these vehicles are at risk of failure and leakage in certain rear impacts.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Fix: Owners may take their vehicles to dealers and the dealers will perform a free inspection of the rear structure. On vehicles in the recall that are not equipped with a tow hitch, Chrysler will install a Chrysler designed tow hitch free of charge, provided the condition of the vehicle can support proper installation. On vehicles in the recall that are equipped with an aftermarket tow hitch, Chrysler will assess whether the hitch and surrounding areas show evidence of sharp edges or other puncture risks. If so, Chrysler will replace the tow hitch with a Chrysler designed tow hitch free of charge, provided the condition of the vehicle can support proper installation. On vehicles already equipped with a Chrysler designed tow hitch, Chrysler will inspect the area around the tow hitch installation, and if any installation issues are identified, they will be repaired free of charge. The recall began on August 1, 2014. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign numbers are N45 (for the Grand Cherokee vehicles) and N46 (for the Liberty vehicles).
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2002 and 2003 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured January 9, 2001, through March 28, 2003, and 2002 through 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 13, 2001, through May 23, 2003. A component in the air bag control module may fail causing the front airbags, side curtain airbags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.
Risk: Inadvertent deployment of the airbags may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a supplemental jumper harness to the airbag control module, free of charge. Owners were notified of the recall by interim letter in January 2013. The remedy for affected Liberty vehicles is expected to be available in April 2013. The remedy for affected Grand Cherokee vehicles is expected to be available later in the year. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753.
Suspension:front:control arm
Problem: Chrysler is recalling 42,469 my 2002-2003 jeep liberty vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in salt belt states of connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, kentucky, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia , wisconsin and the district of columbia. The front suspension upper control arm ball joint may experience a loss of lubrication which could lead to corrosion, accelerated wear, and possible separation while driving.
Risk: Failure of the ball joint could result in a loss of steering capability, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front upper control arm assemblies free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or about april 24, 2010. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint
Problem: On certain trucks, the constant tension front lower ball joints may experience contamination. If the vehicle is operated for an extended period with this condition, the ball joint may eventually experience wear and looseness.
Risk: When the driver continues to operate the vehicle with this condition, the contamination can lead to corrosion, accelerated wear and possibly separation from the steering knuckle causing a loss of vehicle steering control increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front lower ball joints free of charge. The recall began on september 11, 2006. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint
Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles, the lower control arm ball joints can experience a loss of lubrication that can lead to corrosion, accelerated wear, and possible separation from the steering knuckle.
Risk: A ball joint thathas separated from the knuckle could result in loss of vehicle directional control and could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front lower control arm ball joints with modified assemblies and heat shields on vehicles built between january 2, 2001 and october 4, 2002. On vehicles built between october 5, 2002 and march 26, 2003, dealers will inspect the ball joint assemblies (and replace them as necessary) and install heat shields. Owner notification began on december 15, 2003. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-992-1997.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Jeep inadvertent air bag deployment (RQ14001) — opened May 29, 2014, closed Nov 13, 2015, led to recall 15V043000.
- Crash Related Fuel Tank Fires (EA12005) — opened Jun 12, 2012, closed Nov 14, 2014, led to recall 13V252000.
- Inadvertent Air Bag Deployment (EA12001) — opened Jan 23, 2012, closed Feb 21, 2013, led to recall 12V527000.
- Inadvertent Air Bag Deployment (PE11035) — opened Sep 23, 2011, closed Jan 30, 2012.
- Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure (PE11013) — opened Apr 18, 2011, closed Sep 15, 2011.
- Upper ball joint separation (EA08008) — opened Apr 15, 2008, closed Apr 16, 2009, led to recall 09V119000.
- Upper ball joint separation (PE07062) — opened Dec 17, 2007, closed Apr 18, 2008.
- Front suspension ball joint separation (EA06008) — opened May 31, 2006, closed Aug 24, 2006, led to recall 06V288000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
On XXX, my [XXX] son was actively operating my 2003 Jeep Liberty. While driving at approximately 15 MPH, the vehicleâs airbags spontaneously and violently deployed without warning. There was absolutely no collision, impact, or external force that triggered this event. The vehicle did not hit…
I was backing up in a yard and the front passenger wheel folded up underneath the vehicle. I went to look and noticed that the ball joint had completely separated from the joint. This caused damage to my front passenger panel and fender.
My vehicle was driven to an authorized dealership, Young Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Riverdale, with zero pre-existing electrical faults for a federally mandated safety recall (ORC module). During the service, the dealership's service department sent a written text message explicitly stating: 'During…
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while turning the steering wheel to the left or the right, the steering wheel was difficult to turn due to a loss of power steering assist. There was a grinding sound while turning the steering wheel. The sound was loud enough to hear…
Tire blow out
Other Jeep Liberty years
← 2002 Liberty · 2004 Liberty →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 Liberty | 385 | 2 |
| 2011 Liberty | 181 | 3 |
| 2010 Liberty | 197 | 2 |
| 2009 Liberty | 108 | 0 |
| 2008 Liberty | 541 | 4 |
| 2007 Liberty | 703 | 6 |
| 2006 Liberty | 1,372 | 9 |
| 2005 Liberty | 1,118 | 5 |
| 2004 Liberty | 1,101 | 7 |
| 2003 | 1,352 | 7 |
| 2002 Liberty | 1,808 | 8 |
| 2001 Liberty | 10 | 0 |
| 2000 Liberty | 6 | 0 |
See all Jeep Liberty problems by year, every Jeep model, or the Jeep VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Jeep Liberty?
Owners most often report suspension, air bags, structure problems. The top one, suspension, accounts for 437 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Jeep Liberty?
Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2003 Jeep Liberty a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Liberty model years, the 2003 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.