Original right side lower ball joint broke at 59,000 miles.
Jeep Liberty ball joint problems
1,660 of the 8,884 owner complaints about the Jeep Liberty describe ball joint or control arm failure, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 1,660
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical repair cost reported
- $850
- typical mileage
- 66,105
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Grinding brakes 68Power steering loss 52Pulling 40Harsh shifting 27Tire blowout 23Jerking 17Steering noise 13Power windows 10
What owners say
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.
The front passenger side lower ball joint corroded, failed, or detached while I was driving, causing the front of the car to basically fall onto the tire/steering to fail. I had to immediately pull over right before entering the highway as it was undriveable. Thankfully I wasn’t going fast bc this could’ve caused a crash or flipped my car. There was a recall for this exact issue for 800,000 Jeeps of the same make, model, and year, but this exact VIN wasn’t included in the recall. No warning lights or symptoms appeared prior to this occurring. I am asking for an expansion of this recall notice to include my VIN as clearly this issue is one in the same.
ball joint recall was issues and done on paper in August 2006 on the Jeep liberty. Both ball joint have failed on this vehicle at different times this year while driving the vehicle and Jeep has declined to take any responsibility in any way. This is a major safety concern as any kind of speed while this occurs would be catastrophic. I suspect that Jeep submitted that the recall was fixed when in fact it was not and documents were falsified.
The lower ball joint on passenger side failed. Didn't notice any symptoms prior to it breaking. I understand that it was apparently under recall. It was repaired around the recall date but it failed again and is considered recurring failure.
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.
The front lower ball joints have repeatedly failed under recall. The dealer says I now have to pay to have it repaired properly, under recall
Vehicle: 2006 Jeep Liberty VIN: [XXX] Summary: The front lower ball joint on my 2006 Jeep Liberty failed while the vehicle was in normal use. This failure matches the defect described in the federal safety agency Recall 06V288000 (Chrysler F23), which involves corrosion and separation of the front lower ball joints. My VIN does not currently show this recall as open, but the failure occurred exactly as described in the recall documentation. Details: In November 2025, the front end of the vehicle collapsed due to a lower ball joint separation. The joint failed without warning, causing loss of steering control. The vehicle had to be towed home by AAA. The failure is consistent with the recall condition involving water intrusion, corrosion, and separation of the lower ball joint from the steering knuckle. The vehicle still has other open recalls (fuel tank and rear lower control arms), but the front lower ball joint recall does not appear as open in the federal safety agency VIN lookup. I believe the recall may have been incorrectly marked as completed in the past, or the original repair was not performed or not performed correctly. The defect has clearly recurred. Safety Concern: This is a serious safety hazard. The ball joint separation caused sudden loss of steering and could have resulted in a crash. The defect is identical to the condition described in Recall 06V288000. Requested Action: I am requesting that the federal safety agency review this case and require Chrysler/Stellantis to perform the recall repair for the front lower ball joints, as the defect has reoccurred and the recall never expires. I also request verification of whether the recall was ever properly completed on this VIN. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20-25 MPH, the front control arm fractured. The front wheel seized, and the vehicle drove into a driveway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was contacted and suggested an appointment, and that the rear control arm was not covered under warranty. The contact was informed about the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 13V252000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Structure) and the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V278000 (Suspension). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.
The ball joint broke while I was driving I lost all control of vehicle
Related recalls
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2004-2007 Jeep Liberty vehicles. The rear suspension lower control arms can fracture due to excessive corrosion, causing a loss of vehicle control.
- Risk
- A fractured control arm can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear lower control arms, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U38. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 12V‑085. Vehicles included in that campaign are not included in this recall.
Recall number 18V278000 · Recall details
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- In june 2012, chrysler expanded this recall to include model year 2006 and 2007 jeep liberty vehicles, representing an additional 137,176 vehicles. This recall now concerns certain my 2004-2007 jeep liberty vehicles. The total number vehicles being recalled is now 346,900. These vehicles were manufactured from july 3, 2003 through june 29, 2007. The recall addresses those vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Some vehicles may be equipped with rear lower control arms that can experience a rear suspension lower control arm fracture due to excessive corrosion due to application of road salts during winter weather conditions.
- Risk
- A fracture of the rear lower control arm may result in a loss of vehicle control and may lead to a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear lower control arms on all affected vehicles originally sold in, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia, free of charge. The safety recall began on march 26, 2012. Owners may contact chrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 12V085000 · Recall details
Suspension: front: control arm
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 09V119000 · Recall details
Suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 06V288000 · Recall details
Suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 03V460000 · Recall details
Questions about the Jeep Liberty ball joint
Which Jeep Liberty years have ball joint or control arm failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (441 complaints), 2003 (377 complaints) and 2004 (371 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix ball joint or control arm failure on the Jeep Liberty?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $850 (median of 81 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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