Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | ||||||
| PE05046 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 08/26/2005 | 12/27/2005 | FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE MALFUNCTION | ||
| This investigation of front seat belt buckles in the subject vehicles was opened on august 26, 2005.the basis for opening was seven odi reports alleging the driver's seat belt buckle failed to function properly.the complainants alleged the buckles would not latch or were difficult to latch or unlatch.some of the complainants alleged something was broken inside of the buckle and others alleged that the button was stuck down and had to be pried up in order to latch the buckle.this investigation has been upgraded to ea05-022 | ||||||
| EA05022 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 12/27/2005 | 12/21/2006 | FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE MALFUNCTION | ||
| The office of defects investigation (odi) has closed the investigation of front seat belt buckles in model year 2002 jeep liberty vehicles.on august 26, 2006, odi opened preliminary evaluation (pe)05-046 to investigate complaint reports that alleged problems with latching and unlatching the front seat belt buckle.several of the complaints reported that something was broken inside of the buckle.the investigation found that some buckles may experience failure and separation of one, or both, of the internal latch guide leaf springs.lack of leaf spring function does not appear to inhibit buckle operation because there is another spring that returns the release button.however, a separated leaf spring may impede the motion of the buckle release button if it becomes engaged with moving parts.analysis of the available data show that vehicles experiencing problems with the buckles were early production vehicles produced primarily in calendar year (cy) 2001.in early cy 2002, a change was made to the tooling used to produce the buckles. this change affected the leaf springs and appears to have had a positive effect in correcting the buckle issues that were experienced in the early production vehicles.the complaint report trend is down and the frequency of consumer reports in cy 2006 has declined to that of cy 2004.see document file for additional information regarding this resume. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 126000 | 1 | |
| Drivers seat belt latch sticks in open position (does not pop up when seat belt is unlatched). i have seen numerous complaints all over internet. perhaps no one has reported this dangerous safety defect to you. latch can be popped up by inserting key or screwdriver in and popping up. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 126000 | ||
| Drivers seat belt latch sticks in open position (does not pop up when seat belt is unlatched). i have seen numerous complaints all over internet. perhaps no one has reported this dangerous safety defect to you. latch can be popped up by inserting key or screwdriver in and popping up. | |||
| 12/04/2012 | 130000 | 1 | |
| My 2002 jeep liberty was bought brand new from the dealer. about two months ago i was driving on the highway when all of a sudden the dashboard turned off and then turned back on, then my car started shaking like it was about to stall, and the engine light started to blink. i got scared because i didn't want my engine to stall and break down in the middle of the highway since it can be very dangerous, so i got off the highway and parked it in a lot over night so that i could take it straight to the dealer the next day. i took it to the dealer very carefully, my car started over heating when it was sitting in place/ traffic for more than one minute, and then it would cool back down when it was moving. finally at the dealer they changed the water pump, thermostat, and one of the coils. the dealership said the problem was fixed and sent me off. within that week my car started acting up again, the engine light began to flash again and i noticed my car was still being jumpy. i took it back and it turns out it had blown head gaskets, not only that but the heads were not even repairable. i need a complete new engine. i looked online and have found that it is very common for jeep liberty's to have a major engine problem. there is obviously something wrong with the way jeep builds their engines. there needs to be a recall, it is a defect in the liberty's. there have been multiple complaints of jeep engines breaking down with no signs. also as a side note, the seat belt on the drivers side doesn't really click and sometimes un buckles on its own. there is also an electrical problem, the inside lights turn off and on all the time by themselves. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 126000 | ||
| Drivers seat belt latch sticks in open position (does not pop up when seat belt is unlatched). i have seen numerous complaints all over internet. perhaps no one has reported this dangerous safety defect to you. latch can be popped up by inserting key or screwdriver in and popping up. | |||
| 12/04/2012 | 130000 | ||
| My 2002 jeep liberty was bought brand new from the dealer. about two months ago i was driving on the highway when all of a sudden the dashboard turned off and then turned back on, then my car started shaking like it was about to stall, and the engine light started to blink. i got scared because i didn't want my engine to stall and break down in the middle of the highway since it can be very dangerous, so i got off the highway and parked it in a lot over night so that i could take it straight to the dealer the next day. i took it to the dealer very carefully, my car started over heating when it was sitting in place/ traffic for more than one minute, and then it would cool back down when it was moving. finally at the dealer they changed the water pump, thermostat, and one of the coils. the dealership said the problem was fixed and sent me off. within that week my car started acting up again, the engine light began to flash again and i noticed my car was still being jumpy. i took it back and it turns out it had blown head gaskets, not only that but the heads were not even repairable. i need a complete new engine. i looked online and have found that it is very common for jeep libertys to have a major engine problem. there is obviously something wrong with the way jeep builds their engines. there needs to be a recall, it is a defect in the libertys. there have been multiple complaints of jeep engines breaking down with no signs. also as a side note, the seat belt on the drivers side doesnt really click and sometimes un buckles on its own. there is also an electrical problem, the inside lights turn off and on all the time by themselves. | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 126000 | ||
| Drivers seat belt latch sticks in open position (does not pop up when seat belt is unlatched). i have seen numerous complaints all over internet. perhaps no one has reported this dangerous safety defect to you. latch can be popped up by inserting key or screwdriver in and popping up. | |||
| 12/04/2012 | 130000 | ||
| My 2002 jeep liberty was bought brand new from the dealer. about two months ago i was driving on the highway when all of a sudden the dashboard turned off and then turned back on, then my car started shaking like it was about to stall, and the engine light started to blink. i got scared because i didn't want my engine to stall and break down in the middle of the highway since it can be very dangerous, so i got off the highway and parked it in a lot over night so that i could take it straight to the dealer the next day. i took it to the dealer very carefully, my car started over heating when it was sitting in place/ traffic for more than one minute, and then it would cool back down when it was moving. finally at the dealer they changed the water pump, thermostat, and one of the coils. the dealership said the problem was fixed and sent me off. within that week my car started acting up again, the engine light began to flash again and i noticed my car was still being jumpy. i took it back and it turns out it had blown head gaskets, not only that but the heads were not even repairable. i need a complete new engine. i looked online and have found that it is very common for jeep libertys to have a major engine problem. there is obviously something wrong with the way jeep builds their engines. there needs to be a recall, it is a defect in the libertys. there have been multiple complaints of jeep engines breaking down with no signs. also as a side note, the seat belt on the drivers side doesnt really click and sometimes un buckles on its own. there is also an electrical problem, the inside lights turn off and on all the time by themselves. | |||
| 06/03/2012 | |||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated while driving 45 mph the vehicle hydroplaned and crashed into a telephone pole. the air bags did not deploy and the seat belt did not restrain. the contact sustained a fractured nose and several bruises, as well as contusions. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was not known. the vin was not available. | |||
| 06/03/2012 | |||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated while driving 45 mph the vehicle hydroplaned and crashed into a telephone pole. the air bags did not deploy and the seat belt did not restrain. the contact sustained a fractured nose and several bruises, as well as contusions. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was not known. the vin was not available. kmj | |||
| 06/03/2012 | |||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated while driving 45 mph the vehicle hydro planed and struck a telephone pole. the airbags did not deploy and the seat belt did not lock. the driver broker her nose and several bruises and contusions. the vehicle had not been repaired. the mileage was not known. dt | |||
| 12/10/2011 | 105000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that the driver side seat belt assembly broke and she was unable to lock the buckle. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that a spring in the seat buckle was broken and the seat belt assembly needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and the current mileage was 105,000. kmj | |||
| 12/10/2011 | 105000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that the driver side seat belt assembly broke and she was unable to lock the buckle in. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that a spring in the seat buckle was broken as a result the seat belt assembly needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileage was 105,000. pm | |||
| 11/03/2011 | |||
| August 08, bought my 02 liberty. took about 1.5 years to drive it because of an accident - that's why i bought the liberty. about 1 year later the idle air control valve went out, had to replace it. there's been other, minor things, like when accelerating, feels like someone bumped into me. sometimes are worse than others. often feel a vibration. within months of being 1 year of replacing the iav, began to get extremely bad gas mileage - about 187m to a tank. not sure why. replaced the spark plugs, did a lof, inspection, etc.. almost exactly 1 year from replacing the iav, check engine light came on. was on for 1-1.5 days. i decided not use it until i could get it to the mechanic. next morning, was going to the store & the light was off! but when i pulled into a parking space, it died. this sort of thing's happened before, db cluster being faulty. other things [vacuum seal leak, etc] never prompted the lights on. had to replace the iav again & it ran fine. recently, been getting that kicking feeling & like my car is running rough. today, i noticed the airbag light was stuck on. checked the manual, it said to have the airbag system checked. i was nervous about driving - had an odd feeling the airbag would deploy - moved my seat back just in case. since the accident, i get anxiety over these things. luckily, no deployment. got it home, turned it off, waited, turned it on, waited a few seconds and the light turned off this time. went straight to my computer only to find these recalls and investigations - one being the steering - last week had a nerve-wracking experience, my car began to swerve turning left onto the freeway, it was raining, so, i slowly merged. wasn't until it straightened out that it began to swerve, almost like losing control, didn't feel like a slip. but i just assumed it was. also, the seat belts don't seem to stay click in at times. | |||
| 01/01/2010 | 110000 | ||
| My 2002 jeep liberty front seatbelt latches are inoperative. they get stuck in the down position and have to be pried up in order to latch the seat belt securely. i would like to know if jeep/chrysler has issued a recall or offered to repair the latches that go bad. | |||
| 07/01/2009 | 60000 | ||
| Driver seatbelt malfunction. seat belt button stuck in and unable to latch belt. 2002 jeep liberty. this happened in approx. 2009. | |||
| 01/06/2009 | 35000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that the drivers side seat belt latch would get stuck and hard to unlock. this has occurred on a intermittent basis for two years. she states that now the seat has completely failed and she was unable to secure herself while driving. the vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer nor has the vehicle been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 35,000. tb | |||
| 12/11/2010 | 125000 | ||
| 2002 jeep liberty front set bealt will not lock sometimes. | |||
| 05/27/2010 | 138736 | ||
| Update to odi 10135119, previous issue was drivers front seat belt. current issue is front passenger seatbelt. it is not working. the female end is stuck in the in position and will not release. | |||
| 02/27/2010 | 101000 | 1 | |
| Jeep liberty 2002 seat belt release button stay in , does not ways click. then the seat belt will not work at all. i when just got one from the junk yard with the same problem. *tr | |||
| 08/21/2009 | 124000 | 1 | |
| Have a hard time releasing the front seat belts and when they do release, the release button stays pushed down. there have been a couple of times my husband had to push to release my seat belt, as i could not get it to release. thank goodness he was there or i would have been stuck in the car. *tr | |||
| 08/25/2009 | 96000 | 1 | |
| 2002 jeep liberty has had two failures of seat belt latches. passenger seat latch was replaced at 80,000 miles and drivers seat now need replacement at 96,000 miles. both latches failed in the stuck down position. *tr | |||
| 05/04/2009 | 60000 | 1 | |
| Jeep liberty 2002 front driver seat belt doesn't unlatch. *tr | |||
| 03/19/2007 | 1 | ||
| Drivers seat belt buckle (female end) release remains retracted after release of the male end. the button either must be pried back up to latch the seat belt, or, after numerous tries. *tr | |||
| 12/15/2008 | 97000 | 1 | |
| Same as ea05022. 2002 jeep liberty sport passenger seat belt latch has a broken spring. purchased oct 21, 2001. *tr | |||
| 05/25/2002 | 50000 | 1 | |
| 2002 jeep liberty limited. i have replaced the engine, rebuilt the 4 -wheel drive shaft, replaced the a/c condenser and coil, and now the radio, dome lights, power locks are broken. the blower motor resistor has been replaced but now the blower motor is broken. what a lemon from day one. latches on hatch not working correctly, mold smell from a/c. it is something all the time with this vehicle. *tr | |||
| 07/05/2005 | 55000 | 7 | 01/02/2002 |
| Jeep liberty pulls to right, will stop dead in its tracks while in drive, hard to control, thumping noise, metal to metal grinding from front end, seat belts do not work properly, hard to start, front seat covers rippled, paint peeled on hood, tailgate, breaks only work some of the time, shakes and hard to control on speed above 35 mph, all interior weather stripping came off. same complaints from 1/7/03 ball joints replaced on recall on 1/10/03 still had pulling to right problems, shaking,. weather stripping all fell off on interior of car, acts like wheels are binding. 3/4/03 same complaints pulling to right, stops dead in its track, hard to control, wheels bind, dealer could not duplicate complaints (did not write up work order) 3/27/03 dealer installed interior weather stripping, same complaints as 1/10/03,3/4/03. again on 6/2/03 took jeep liberty to dealer took a test drive could not verify complaints. did not write up a work order. 1/16/04 jeep liberty hard to start, pulls to right, jeep shakes & vibrates hard to control, seat belts do not work, seat rippling, car stops dead it its tracks, dealer fixed lower ball joints again on 2/13/04 at 23,850 miles. 2-13-04 picked up car from dealer still had same problems dealer stated this is how jeeps drive they are nuts! 11-04 dealer took test drive was still having problems claimed everything okay. did not right up a work order. 5/27/05 had massive problems brakes would go to the floor, sometime would work and other time not. took to nearest brake place pads, okay, but wheel cylinder leaked. claim it could be a intermittent failure of master cylinder, called dealer ship no part available. 7/5/05 took to dealer again with same problems,r they had not even looked at it. removed jeep and took to private auto placed,ut with intermittent problems you could replace most of the parts on the car & you may not cure the problems. *jb | |||
| 10/17/2004 | 27790 | 2 | 05/31/2002 |
| Driving 25 mph, the front lower ball joints failed causing the front end to drop onto the front wheels. the vehicle was towed. *jb the passenger's side lower ball joint failed causing the front end to drop onto the passenenger's side front wheel. the seat belt did not retract. *sc | |||
| 06/18/2003 | 72650 | 1 | 10/28/2001 |
| Consumer's son was involved in a frontal collision and neither air bag deployed. also, neither seat belt held the driver and passenger in their seats. dealer notified. *ak *scc *jb | |||
| 02/04/2003 | 1 | ||
| While driving 40 mph the vehicle hit a large patch of deep slush which pulled the vehicle off the road. as a result the vehicle hit a tree head on. the vehicle air bags did not deploy and the seat belt did not properly restrain the driver. the driver hit her head on the dash and experienced swelling in her left knee, a stiff neck, headaches and bruising of the left leg and forearm. the manufacturer indicated the air bags performed as designed since the damage to the vehicle was centered on the left side of the vehicle. *mr *nlm *jb | |||
| 08/12/2002 | |||
| While driving the vehicle involved in a frontal impact at 35mph and neither air bag deployed. dealer has been notified. please provide urther information. ts | |||
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 25000 | 2 | 11/12/2001 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the driver and passenger side seat belts were cut close to the retractor. the dealer replaced both front seat belts. the cause of the failures was unknown. the failure mileage was 25,000 and current mileage was 28,373. updated 01/09/08. *lj updated 12/12/07 *tr | |||
| 05/01/2007 | 60000 | 1 | 01/01/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that the driver side seat belt buckle cannot be released when it is latched. he has to stick a key or a similar item in the buckle to release the seat belt. he contacted the dealer to repair the part and was charged a fee. as of july 23, 2007, the seat belt has not been repaired. nhtsa defect investigation number ea05022 was referenced. the vin and engine size were unknown. the current mileage is 65,000 and failure mileage was 60,000. | |||
| 11/07/2006 | 60000 | 5 | 12/08/2001 |
| Drivers seat belt buckle (female end) release remains retracted after release of the male end. the button either must be pried back up to latch the seat belt, or, after numerous tries, the seat belt buckle female end will secure in the male end. dcc has refused to correct the defect, as the vehicle is out of warranty. *jb | |||
| 09/17/2006 | 47000 | 1 | |
| Driver side seat belt buckle (female end) permanently stuck in open position. small red plastic piece fell out when looking at it. can no longer get seat belt to lock. called several dealers and was told that regardless of whether vehicle was still under warranty or not, they would not replace this part - ever. i was quoted anywhere from $150 to $350 parts & labor to replace. i am still deciding what to do about problem. seems to me that manufacturer has a responsibility to ensure that safety devices are in working order. *jb | |||
| 04/05/2006 | 103000 | 1 | 09/26/2001 |
| The driver's side front seat belt on my 2002 jeep liberty will no longer latch. there was no warning leading up to this failure. we have not yet been able to repair it. *nm | |||
| 08/01/2005 | 1 | 09/15/2001 | |
| The seat belt latch on the drivers side is broken. the button sticks down and does not come back up after unlatching the seat belt. i am afraid this is going to cause the seat belt not to work if i have a crash. *nm | |||
| 03/14/2006 | 56617 | 1 | 06/01/2002 |
| Front drivers side seat belt, stuck with pushbutton down; will not lock. *nm | |||
| 05/25/2004 | 49000 | 1 | 09/24/2001 |
| 2002 jeep liberty, 49,000 miles, divers seat belt latch stuck in open position and will not latch; a small plastic piece insdie the buckle has broken. the dealer (van dyn hoven, automotive) would not replace it at no charge, told me that i was out of warranty. i went to another dealer (kolosso, jeep) purchased, paid for and installed the defective seat belt latch myself. isn't this totally erroneous on the dealers (van dyn hoven automotive) part or chrysler to not cover this at any mileage? *la | |||
| While traveling 45 mph and as a result of a frontal impact front seat belts did not lock in place, causing consumer to hit steering wheel with chest.*ak | |||
| 09/09/2001 | 2300 | 2 | 07/27/2001 |
| Jeep liberty rolled over three times, totaling the vehicle. the seat belts did not hold us back to the seat as designed to do. due to this, we had whiplash and a few scrapes. to date, we are still in chronic pain and need ongoing chiropractor care. our medical bills are quite high due to this. *nlm | |||
| 03/27/2003 | 1 | ||
| The vehicle accelerated foward and collided with another vehicle, also the seat belt failed to restrain the consumer properly and was subsequently injured. *jb | |||
| 02/04/2003 | 7713 | 2 | 07/29/2002 |
| Seat belt and air bag failure during head-on collision.*jb | |||
| 02/03/2003 | 158000 | 2 | 02/07/2001 |
| Failure of airbag to deploy and driver side seat belt to lock. | |||
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - ANCHORAGE | |||
| 09/01/2001 | |||
| Consumer states that the seatbelts. please provide additional details. consumer states that the seat belts were defective.*jb chrysler bought vehicle back. *ak *jb | |||
| 06/18/2001 | 1 | 06/15/2001 | |
| Consumer complains of the seatbelts being too short, they will not hold, and they do not comply with massachusetts safety law, also consumer requested seat belt extenders but hasnot received them yet. *jg *ak | |||
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | |||
| 11/16/2009 | 44500 | 1 | 06/30/2001 |
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the front passenger seat belt would not un-latch from the seat belt buckle. the vehicle was taken to the dealership and the lower latch assembly was replaced. the current and failure mileages were 44500. update 12/14/09 *cn the consumer stated he had to destroy the latch assembly so his daughter could exit the vehicle. the dealer replaced the seat belt buckle. updated 12/16/09*jb | |||
| 02/26/2007 | 78000 | 1 | 12/31/2001 |
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that the seat belt would not latch. the vehicle was diagnosed as needing a new buckle assembly. the buckle assembly was ordered and will be replaced. the current mileage is 80,000, and failure mileage was 78,000. *ak updated 05/21/07 *tr | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 102000 | 1 | 08/01/2005 |
| Seat belt locking mechanism on 2002 jeep liberty driver's seat is broken and does not engage. *jb | |||
| 01/07/2007 | 7 | ||
| Seat belt would not release and would jam seat belt would come open going down the road then the buckle jammed open. *jb | |||
| 11/01/2006 | 1 | 12/14/2001 | |
| Seat belt release button on drivers side seat belt sticks in the down position. it must be tapped with the male end of the seat belt to get it to pop up so the belt can be inserted and held in place. this is a recurring problem. *nm | |||
| 03/31/2006 | 82000 | 1 | |
| Driver's side seat belt latch does not always latch. release button regularly jams down and has to be pried up to latch seat belt. latch has been cleaned and lubricated with no improvement. *nm | |||
| 08/10/2006 | 51000 | 50 | 09/04/2002 |
| Front seat belt buckle difficult to unlatch and red button is stuck in down position. *nm | |||
| 08/06/2006 | 2 | ||
| Front passenger seat belt would not engage and had to be replaced in june 2006 now the drivers seat belt is doing the same thing. seat belt will not latch. jeep dealer said there is no recall and i had to pay for replacement seat belt latch. | |||
| 08/07/2006 | 71700 | 1 | 01/12/2002 |
| The buckle assembly on the vehicle will not latch. *jb | |||
| 05/01/2006 | 82000 | ||
| Dt*: the contact stated that left front seat belt buckle did not latch properly. excessive force had to be applied to latch the safety belt. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer, where the dealer determined that the buckle needed replacement. | |||
| 07/02/2006 | 1 | 08/07/2001 | |
| The latch on the front driver's side seat belt of my 2002 jeep liberty is stuck in the depressed position and will not release making it impossible to wear the seat belt. i contacted dealer and was told that it was not covered by any warranty. ended up paying $300 to get it repaired. i want to know if there are any recalls in place, so that i may be refunded the money spent to repair. *jb | |||
| 06/29/2006 | 81500 | 5 | 11/26/2001 |
| Seat belt hook for driver's side is not popping back up. the button stays pushed down and must be pried up. *nm | |||
| 02/01/2005 | 51000 | 1 | |
| Dt: the contact stated they have two defective seat belts. after they had their vehicle for one month, the passenger back seat belt became defective. the second seat belt which is the drivers seat seat belt became defective last tuesday. they had no problem putting it on, but became trapped and could not disconnect their seat belt when trying to get out of their vehicle. the contacts coworkers had to get her out with a swiss army knife and wd40. no further damage done to seat belt. a mechanic said this was caused by a weak spring. they have been using this seat belt since, but it is not operating functionally. seat belts are free of dirt and contaminents. no pictures available. the contact also stated that their radio became defective about two months ago. the radio took the juice out of the battery causing battery to die. | |||
| 06/06/2006 | 38510 | 1 | 06/02/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the front driver side seat belt buckle assembly button remained depressed. the vehicle was taken to the dealership and the buckle assembly was replaced. updated 7/13/2006 - *nm | |||
| 06/06/2006 | 45000 | 1 | 05/31/2001 |
| Drivers side safety belt will not return after being depressed. | |||
| 05/19/2006 | 557702 | 1 | 05/06/2002 |
| Seat belt release on the driver's side will not pop back out after releasing the seat belt. which will not allow the seat belt to latch back after releasing. *nm | |||
| 05/01/2004 | 42500 | 2000 | 05/01/2003 |
| Driver's side seat belt latch sticks in down/release position and must be pried up in order to latch seat belt. *nm | |||
| 03/27/2006 | 60250 | 6 | 05/22/2002 |
| The drivers side seat belt latch red button becomes stuck in the down position after the sea belt is released. the button must then be manually pulled up using a stiff piece of metal before buckling the seat belt again. i have noticed a piece of broken red plastic within the assembly.*jb | |||
| 02/11/2006 | 70 | ||
| Seat belt assembly. the drivers side seat belt latch sticks not allowing to fasten seat belt. i have to bang on it so it will release in order to fasten the seat belt. i have not had this problem fixed yet. i wanted to come here first to see if there was an investigation going on with this problem. *nm | |||
| 02/06/2006 | 38000 | 1 | 02/01/2002 |
| 2002 jeep liberty front driver's side seat belt buckle button stuck. unable to use seat belt. *nm | |||
| 01/05/2006 | 1 | ||
| Driver's seat belt failed; could not buckle the seat belt at all. *nm | |||
| 01/05/2005 | 49000 | 1 | |
| My 2002 jeep liberty limited is having the same problems described in defect investigation #ea05022. my driver's seat belt buckle sticks in the down position when depressed fully, and must be pried up using a screwdriver or similar device before being able to latch the belt again. this has been going on since about june of 2005.jb | |||
| 11/15/2005 | 150 | 11/01/2001 | |
| I have two seat belt clips that have depressed and will not accept the safety clip. the first is in the backseat, on the passenger's side of the vehicle. this happened after only a few uses (maybe 10), however i didn't report it because i rarely have more than 4 people in my car. the second clip is at the driver's seat. *nm | |||
| 09/16/2005 | 60000 | 60 | 07/16/2003 |
| 2002 jeep liberty ref. nhtsa action # pe 05-046 driver seat belt latch will not latch . red push button is stuck down. sounds like piece is loose inside latch . am needing to get new latch assy. broken assy will be available. *nm | |||
| 11/01/2005 | 61100 | 1 | 10/14/2002 |
| Dt: the contact stated the drivers side safety seat belt buckle assembly failed. this happened without incident. he took the vehicle to a dealer who replaced the buckle assembly. the dealer could not determine what caused the failure. he paid out of pocket for the repair. *ak updated 12/27/2005 - the driver's seat belt would not buckle. the consumer was reimbursed by the manufacturer for the repair. *nm | |||
| 10/31/2005 | 1 | 06/10/2005 | |
| The front drivers side seat belt buckle will not latch properly. the button will not return after being depressed unless it is pushed back up. *jb | |||
| 08/15/2005 | 44000 | 100 | 08/31/2001 |
| Problem with the driver's side seat belt latch - especially difficult to unlatch seat belt (button remains pushed in). concerned about this as being more of a safety concern rather than an anything else! *nm | |||
| 10/01/2005 | 49000 | 1 | |
| Drivers seat belt does not clip into the female portion of the mechanism. the red release button stays depressed not being able to re-accept the male portion of the mechanism. *nm | |||
| 09/28/2005 | 32306 | 1 | 08/18/2001 |
| Dt: the consumer stated that the 2002 jeep liberty had a problem with the seat belt latching. the seat belt on the driver's side malfunctioned. theconsumer took the vehicle to the dealership to have the vehicle fixed. the approximate cost to the consumer was $151.72 for the repairs. the manufacturer has not been contacted. *ak updatd 01/04/06. *jb | |||
| 09/13/2005 | 29000 | 120 | 09/21/2001 |
| Driver seat belt would not latch part replaced. *nm | |||
| 09/01/2005 | 52000 | 20 | 07/13/2002 |
| Seat belt on drivers side is at times hard to unlatch. i reported it to milton ruben jeep today and was told it needed to be replaced at a cost of over $130.00. i told them it was a safety concern that should not require me paying for it and i did not have the item replaced at this time. i asked if it was a recall item and was told no. | |||
| 03/01/2005 | 21000 | 1 | 09/06/2001 |
| Seat belt buckle failed to latch, had to be replaced. *jb | |||
| 07/10/2005 | 1 | 02/01/2002 | |
| Dt: the contact owned a 2002 jeep liberty. at 36,300 miles the driver's side seat belt failed. jeep told contact it was too bad. there was no accident. the seat belt would not stay latched. all other seat belts in were working properly. driver could not t latch the seat belt in the buckle. could not hear anything when trying to latch the seat belt. the buckle was free of dirt and other contaminants. the seat belt was repaired because he purchased a replacement and put it in on july 26, 2005.*ak phone interview update: the complainant experienced trouble getting the driver seat belt buckle to disengage. the problem worsened over time and the relase button had to be meshed down hard to release. eventually, the problem got so bad that mr. or mrs. gilbert had to use a key to pry up the relase button to disengage the tongue. | |||
| 12/01/2004 | 37200 | 500 | 10/09/2004 |
| Defect in drivers side seat belt latch, and i have a chrysler service contract and they say that its not covered, its a factory defect. phone interview update: the driver seat belt buckle will not easily unlatch. the problem is intermittent. | |||
| 06/03/2005 | 64700 | 1 | 08/02/2001 |
| Dt: the seat belt buckel on the front driver's side seat will not buckle unless the orange button is first lifted up. *ak | |||
| 12/10/2004 | 85000 | 4 | 03/15/2002 |
| Drivers seat safety belt does not latch. the latching mechanism is stuck in the close mode. i cannot fasten my seat belt anymore. also notice a month ago, that the belt when latched was slightly sticking. now does not work at all.*ak | |||
| 11/01/2003 | 39000 | 1 | 12/15/2001 |
| Drivers seatbelt latch broken. *ak | |||
| 10/01/2003 | 39000 | 1 | 12/15/2001 |
| Drivers seat belt latch broken. the car is less than two years old and chrysler/jeep will not repair it. i feel that this is a major safety problem. we must pay to have this latch replaced. would you like me to send the broken latch assembly to you? if so,where do i send it? a plastic piece broke off inside the buckle. the buckle will not latch. *la | |||
| 05/08/2002 | 10000 | 2 | 02/01/2002 |
| My daughter's jeep liberty rolled. during the roll, the drivers side seat belt released her. there was an eventual frontal impact but no air bags deployed. my daughter was thrown from the vehicle and killed. *jb see annotations for addition follow up information.cw | |||
| 10/16/2002 | 3000 | 7 | 01/18/2002 |
| Upon making a slight lane correction at approx. 60 mph, my daughter's 2002 jeep libety began swerving uncontrollably. she felt no resistance to the steering wheel as she tried to stop the swerving. at no time did she apply the brakes. witnesses said it appeared she had a flat tire. eventually, the vehicle entered the grass median and rolled 2.5 or 3.5 times coming to rest on the roof facing on-coming traffic. the complete rear end(tires and differential) separated and ended up approx. 75 feet from the vehicle. the right front axle or cv joint was broken. neither her passenger or her air bags deployed. the driver's seat belt was broken at the end of the motion of the rolling. both occupants were bruised and cut. we believe the axle failed and caused this potentially fatal accident. this vehicle had approx. 3000 miles on it. at 1800 miles the engine had thrown a rod and the engine was replaced completely. the jeep liberty is structurally unsound and of poor design particularly in the area of the rear suspension. daimler-chysler has lowered the suspension in obvious response to roll over incidents.*jb..*ak | |||
| Consumer states while secured in the driver and passenger seat belts the buckles unlock without warning with the slightest ruff movement ofthe passenger. nlm | |||
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - RETRACTOR | |||
| 03/15/2005 | 43500 | 1 | |
| Driver's side seat belt retractor failed . as a result, the driver was not restrained properly. the cause has yet to be determined. *ak | |||
| 12/15/2004 | 26000 | 500 | 09/19/2002 |
| Driver side seat belt will not latch; would not 'click.' | |||
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - WARNING LIGHT/DEVICES | |||
| 1200 | 9 | ||
| While driving, when the brakes are applied, the vehicle will experience extended stopping distance, almost causing accident(s). the dealership cannot locate problem, and is aware that the vehicle cannot be repaired properly. ts the problems are as followed: rattling noise, lever on passenger side broken off the side pocket of the door, skidding, difficulty stopping on dry pavement/nose diving, engine symbol appearing on the instrument panel flashing/then the vehicle would start to shake, and misfiring with forward thrusting movements, as is if it were to shut down. the braking system was found faulty due to a missing brake combination valve which cause skidding, and the way the vehicle will stop. the front driver side wheel drags. the tires crumbled inside and had blown apart-firestone. scc | |||
| SEAT BELTS - REAR | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 50000 | 3 | 06/09/2001 |
| Tl* - the contact received recall 06v288000 for the 2002 jeep liberty concerning lower ball joints. the contact complained about the effect that the ball joint had on the tires. the contact stated that no matter what speed she was driving at, but usually at about 15 mph she felt and heard the suspension in the car shifting whenever she hit a bump. the contacts complaint was that after one and a half years the tires were completely bald. the contact stated that this was directly related to the safety recalls on the ball joints. also, the contact stated that on 11/2005 she lost control of the vehicle after making a turn. after taking the vehicle for service, the contact learned from the dealer that all of the steering fluid leaked out, and the power steering belt split in half. the contact would like to have the tires replaced under the recall as well.*ak updated 2/7/2007 - the consumer's vehicle experience extended crank time to start. the dealer replaced eh fuel pump and fuel pump reservoir. the lap belt in the rear seat became twisted. when the vehicle was put into reverse the consumer hear a noise. the dealer made repairs to the transmission. the lighter was inoperative. *nm | |||
| 07/28/2005 | 55414 | 3 | 06/30/2001 |
| First problem: on march 31, 2004, we took my 2002 jeep liberty to the jeep dealer due to a loud squeaking noise in the front. they diagnosed a bad lower ball joint on the left front side and replaced it. note - my jeep had the lower front ball joints serviced under a recall notice at the end of 2003. it was supposed to have had the lower ball joints replaced and a heat shield installed. second problem: without warning on july 28, 2005, the front right lower ball joint broke while attempting to drive the jeep into our garage, and the front end collapsed onto the pavement and the disconnected wheel. there was no noise or any indication of a problem before this happened. the events leading up to this: i started up the engine, backed the jeep up a few feet to straighten my approach, and attempted to pull it into the garage. however, i noticed a strong resistance to roll forward so i stopped, got out and looked around to make sure i wasn't running over something. after seeing nothing in the way or under the vehicle, i tried again to pull forward, but it wouldn't roll and the wheel skid. so i put it into reverse and tried to back up. that is when the front end dropped with a load crunch onto the wheel that had came off. the jeep dealer paid for the new ball joint and several other parts that were damaged due to the incident. another problem: on december 12, 2003, the right rear seat belt latch had to be replaced because the release button was jamming (sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't). *nm | |||
| SEAT BELTS - REAR - BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | |||
| 12/01/2006 | 64992 | 1 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated when the rear passenger seat was lowered, there was an audible popping noise. when the seat was raised back up, the housing to the seat belt buckle assembly was found to have fractured away from the assembly and landed on the floorboard of the vehicle. there was also discoloration in the fractured area of the buckle assembly. a service dealer was contacted, who stated that they did not have authority to replace the part free of charge. the manufacturer was also notified, who provided the same response. | |||
| 02/01/2005 | 51000 | 1 | |
| Dt: the contact stated they have two defective seat belts. after they had their vehicle for one month, the passenger back seat belt became defective. the second seat belt which is the drivers seat seat belt became defective last tuesday. they had no problem putting it on, but became trapped and could not disconnect their seat belt when trying to get out of their vehicle. the contacts coworkers had to get her out with a swiss army knife and wd40. no further damage done to seat belt. a mechanic said this was caused by a weak spring. they have been using this seat belt since, but it is not operating functionally. seat belts are free of dirt and contaminents. no pictures available. the contact also stated that their radio became defective about two months ago. the radio took the juice out of the battery causing battery to die. | |||