NHTSA Complaint #10218429 — 2005 JEEP LIBERTY

OUR 2005 JEEP LIBERTY LIMITED CRD HAS HAD THE LOWER FRONT SUSPENSION BALL JOINTS REPLACED AS PART OF THE VEHICLE'S RECALL NOTICE. AT APPROXIMATELY 30,000 MILES, WE WENT TO AN INDEPENDENT TIRE SHOP FOR AN ALIGNMENT DUE TO POOR TIRE WEAR AND "WANDERING" CHARACTERISTICS WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE TIRE SHOP INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A DEFECTIVE UPPER BALL JOINT AND COULD REPLACE THE FAILED UNIT WITH PERMISSION FROM THE DEALER. THE DEALER, MEDVED JEEP, DENIED THE CLAIM. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MEDVED WHO THEN CLAIMED THAT THE UPPER BALL JOINTS WERE NOT DEFECTIVE. AT APPROXIMATELY 37,000 MILES THE VEHICLE HAD A HIGHER FREQUENCY OF FRONT END CLUNKING, SO I TOOK IT BACK TO MEDVED WHO THEN CLAIMED THE NOISE WAS ONLY AN EXTRANEOUS BATTERY LOOSE UNDER THE SEAT. AT APPROXIMATELY 43,000 MILES, THE CLUNKING HAD BECOME DISTURBINGLY FREQUENT AND MORE SEVERE. I TOOK IT BACK TO MEDVED AND THEY NOW CONFIRM THAT IT'S A FAULTY UPPER BALL JOINT. HOWEVER, THEY CLAIM NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR NOT CORRECTING THE PROBLEM AT 30,000 MILES OR 37,000 MILES. THEY REFUSED TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART, AND FURTHERMORE, CALLED IN A CHRYSLER INSPECTOR WHO REPORTED THAT OUR 1-1/2" LIFT KIT CAUSED THE PROBLEMS WITH THE BALL JOINT. HOWEVER, THE BOOTS ON THE BALL JOINTS ARE STILL INTACT AND THERE IS NO VISIBLE EVIDENCE THAT INDICATES THE CAUSE OF THE BALL JOINT FAILURE (POOR MANUFACTURING VERSUS LIFT KIT). THERE HAS BEEN NO FORENSIC EVALUATION OF THE FAILURE. THE UPPER BALL JOINTS ON THIS VEHICLE HAVE A "RECORD" OF FAILURE PER ONLINE FORUMS. MANY FAILURES ARE ON VEHICLES WITHOUT LIFT KITS- POINTING TO LIKELY UNDERENGINEERED COMPONENT'S ON THE PART OF JEEP VERSUS PURELY SPECULATIVE CONCLUSIONS THAT OUR 1-1/2" LIFT KIT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE LOWER BALL JOINT ENGINEERING WAS FAULTY, AND NHTSA SHOULD EXPLORE THE RELATED FAILURES TO THE UPPER SUSPENSION BALL JOINTS. THIS IS AS POTENTIALLY SERIOUS UNDER CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AS THE LOWER SUSPENSION BALL JOINTS. *TR