Problems · NHTSA complaints
2009 Jeep Liberty problems
Owners filed 108 complaints about the 2009 Jeep Liberty with NHTSA between Mar 2009 and Jun 2025. The most-cited component is structure (20).
Complaints
108
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
6
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Structure20
- Electrical system19
- Fuel/propulsion system15
- Air bags12
- Wheels10
- Suspension7
- Engine7
- Tires7
- Visibility6
- Fuel system, gasoline6
- Visibility/wiper4
- Exterior lighting4
- Vehicle speed control3
- Power train3
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 27, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
2
0
11
4
13
23
14
8
6
8
9
2
2
0
2
1
3
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 2 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 11 |
| 2012 | 4 |
| 2013 | 13 |
| 2014 | 23 |
| 2015 | 14 |
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 9 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Structure
20 reports
“snapped rear control arm. I own this vehicle in a salt state. no issues prior, it literally rusted and snapped with myself and my 5 year old in the car, causing me to lose control and almost crash.”
Electrical system
19 reports1 fire
“ON FRIDAY, 07.07.2017, AS I WAS DRIVING INTO A TURN LANE FROM THE HWY, I HAD SLOWED WAY DOWN FOR TRAFFIC THEN PICKED UP SPEED SLIGHTLY, NOT EVEN 10 MPH, TO FOLLOW CARS IN THE TURN LANE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR BECAME SLUGGISH AND THE JEEP CAME TO A STOP. AS I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN THERE WAS A VERY LOUD POP FROM UNDER THE HOOD. EVERYTHING QUIT, THE ENGINE, THE ELECTRIC, THE STARTER WOULD NOT TURN OVER WHEN I TRIED TO START IT AGAIN OR THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS. JUST BEFORE THIS HAPPENED THE ENGINE LIGHT AND, WHAT I FOUND OUT LATER, THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS CONFUSED AT WHAT JUST HAPPENED. THINKING WHAT I SAW NEXT WAS STEAM COMING FROM UNDER THE JEEP WAS STEAM I POPPED THE HOOD TO GO LOOK. THERE WAS TRAFFIC ALL AROUND ON THE HWY. ONCE I OPENED THE HOOD I FOUND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS ON FIRE, BACK AGAINST THE FIREWALL BETWEEN THE ENGINE AND THE STEERING COLUMN, BEHIND THE BATTERY. THE FIRE GOT BIGGER ONCE THE HOOD WAS OPEN, IT SPREAD VERY FAST. PEOPLE IN OTHER CARS WERE YELLING AND A GUY STOPPED TO HELP ME AND TOLD ME TO GET AWAY FROM THE JEEP BECAUSE IT WAS GAS THAT WAS BURNING. THE FIRE DEPT WAS CALLED YET BY THE TIME THEY GOT…”
Fuel/propulsion system
15 reports1 fire
“Fuel Spit Back During Refueling. When refueling at any gas pump, flammable fuel almost always spits back out of the filler hose, down the side of the vehicle and pools on ground by the tire. There has been a recall issued for the same issue and same vehicle model: Jeep Liberty KK, which runs from 2008-12. However, the recall only covers year 2008.”
Air bags
12 reports1 crash
“OUT OF THE BLUE WHILE DRIVING THE AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED - I TOOK IT IN TO HAVE IT RESET - IT WORKED FOR A BIT THEN CAME BACK ON: THE MECHANIC ADVICES THAT THE SENSOR LIKELY WENT BAD AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.”
Wheels
10 reports
“CUSTOMER WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE CABLE THAT HOLDS THE SPARE TIRE SNAPPED AND CAUSED THE SPARE TIRE TO FLY DOWN THE HIGHWAY, ENDANGERING THE LIVES OF OTHER DRIVERS.”
Suspension
7 reports1 related recall
“While driving I heard a popping sound and felt the vehicle sway slightly. The vehicle continued to making intermittent banging noises towards the rear passenger side. Upon stopping and investigating I found the rear control arm had failed on the passenger side. I also examined the driver side rear control arm. It was intact but has significant rust, which likely contributed to the passenger side failure, as it also has significant rust. Car has been parked since the incident. I would like to know if the manufacturer/dealer will replace both components free of charge. There was a safety bulletin for the same issue for the 2004-2007 model year of the vehicle (18V-278). A search on the internet found the same failures in my model year for the lower control arms.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 27, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.