2006 Jeep Liberty: harsh or hard shifting

Filed Apr 13, 2026 · Suspension · 87,803 miles · MA

The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was loose, with a clunking sound coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken for inspection and failed the inspection. The vehicle was diagnosed by a certified mechanic, and the contact was informed that the driver's side ball joint was detaching and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to another certified mechanic to be repaired. Two years later, the steering was loose again. The vehicle was taken for inspection, and it failed the inspection again. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched and found information about the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 06V288000 (Suspension); and associated the failure with the recall. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 87,803.

Filed Nov 15, 2019 · Suspension · 212,000 miles · KY

I was leaving my parking lot when I heard a clunk and my driver side of the jeep lowered. I got out and looked and my tire was tilted at an angle. A couple of my neighbors looked under the jeep and said that it was the ball joint and that the axle was on the ground.

Filed Mar 25, 2009 · Suspension · 31,000 miles · MD

Initially vehicle began making a rear clunking sound over small bumps in the road. Took vehicle back to dealership several times. No problem found. On march 13,2009 while driving to work on highway, vehicle began to sway from side to side uncontrollable at speeds of 40-45 MPH. Took vehicle to dealership. Service manager drove vehicle and agreed something was seriously defective. Dealer has replaced several components under warranty, yet vehicle still has swaying problem. Vehicle is still at dealership since march 13,2009. Dealer said they are still waiting on an answer from chrysler/jeep. I emailed chrysler several times complaining of prior problems. Recently dealer was at a lost for answers and felt the new shocks that were installed by owner were defective. Other shocks were installed by the dealer and still had the same problem. Dealer then began to blame the new tires. Still the same problem. Vehicle is not safe to drive on the road. Uncontrollable and unstable. Vehicle now sits in the service department waiting on the manufacturer to solve the issue. Vehicle is still under factory warranty.

Filed Feb 22, 2007 · Transmission · 16,450 miles · OH

I am the owner of a 2006 jeep liberty. Approximately 3 weeks after I purchased the new vehicle the transmission failed while I was driving on the highway. At that time the vehicle was towed to the service department where the transmission problem was said to be repaired. Since that failure the vehicle was not running properly: the automatic transmission did not seem to be shifting smoothly. For the next 8 months I tried to have the service department repair the problem but they did not, the told me the "problem" was normal. In january 2007, I noticed the problem with the transmission was getting worse. I had to press the accelerator more than normal to get the car to shift after making a stop. The car would then jerk into gear while my foot was on the accelerator and I would speed up more than was safe. The final incident was when I was accelerating to get on the highway after a stop and the car jerked into gear along with making a clunking sound. Because I was trying to accelerate, when the car jerked into gear I was sent off the side of the road. Thank goodness there was no traffic or I would have been in a serious accident. I drove to the nearest service department where the problem was quickly diagnosed as a torque converter problem. The vehicle was in for repairs for 22 days before I got it back. Parts were replaced in the transmission but only after approval from the manufacturer. The vehicle is running a little better but it is still not running like it was when I first bought the vehicle. This problem can be deadly and I no longer feel safe driving the vehicle.

Filed Sep 12, 2006 · Transmission · 2,700 miles · MD

I was doing a rapid deceleration for traffic slowing down suddenly on us 30 in york county, pa. I heard a loud clunk as I slowed down and the check engine light came on. As I tried to get back up to speed the jeep would not get out of 3rd gear. I kept to the right and got off at the first exit. After 5 minutes, I got back in the jeep, started it up, the check engine light still on. It shifted somewhat normally although it did shudder a bit. The following day, 9/10/06, the engine light was off and appears to be shifting ok now. I called the dealer who said that if it happens again I should bring it in. I am aware that there have been problems with this torque converter/transmission. I am concerned that it will happen when I have less flexibility to respond with a sudden power loss, especially in rainy/snowy weather, or a crowded road with only one lane. Jeep liberty limited, 2006, 2800 miles.