Problems · NHTSA complaints

2012 Jeep Liberty problems

Owners filed 385 complaints about the 2012 Jeep Liberty with NHTSA between Mar 2012 and Jul 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (169).

Complaints
385
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
19
Reported by owners
Fires
14
Reported by owners
Injuries
34
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Air bags169
  2. Electrical system117
  3. Engine44
  4. Power train34
  5. Structure24
  6. Exterior lighting20
  7. Seats16
  8. Service brakes12
  9. Visibility/wiper11
  10. Electronic stability control (esc)10
  11. Visibility9
  12. Fuel/propulsion system9
  13. Wheels8
  14. Vehicle speed control8

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 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
201216
201323
201450
201556
201645
201762
201843
201937
202021
20218
20226
20237
20245
20255
20261

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.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Air bags

169 reports15 crashes1 fire
“My daughter was hit by a semi truck on US-23 today. The trailer fishtailed hit the back end of Jeep. I hit the guard rail. All four corners of the Jeep were hit. The air bags did not deploy. The front driver tire fell off. The back window and passenger side trunk window blew out.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 9, 2025Suspension, Air bags, WheelsCrash reportedODI 11703957

Electrical system

117 reports2 crashes8 fires1 related recall
“The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front windshield wipers inadvertently activated. The contact turned the windshield wipers on and off to deactivate the windshield wipers. Additionally, the headlights inadvertently illuminated, and the doors locked and unlocked independently while the vehicle was unoccupied, parked, and turned off in the driveway. The vehicle occasionally hesitated while starting. The contact stated that the failure had caused the battery to drain. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact associated the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V530000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 24, 2026Electrical systemODI 11752635

Engine

44 reports7 fires
“MY JEEP HAS BEEN BACK TO DEALER FOR OVER 23 SERVICES FROM RECALLS, DEFECTIVE PARTS, ALTERED PARTS, ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, REAR END, BRAKING AND MANY MORE ISSUES TO INCLUDE SHARP ITEMS PUSHES THRU SEATS HARMING PEOPLE”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 26, 2023Power train, Electrical system, EngineODI 11552038

Power train

34 reports3 crashes
“The vehicle gears slipped into neutral but back to drive without assistance on my part. Once at a stop sign when I resumed driving. Once turning a corner. Once getting ready to back up. / I took it to have the transmission fluid level checked and it checked out ok. There have been no transmission recalls reported on the 2012 Jeep Liberty. The pan and filter had had a leak and was replaced a couple of weeks before this slippage happened”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 22, 2024Power trainODI 11621238

Structure

24 reports4 crashes1 fire
“I WAS HIT ON MY PASSENGER FRONT, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CROSS INTO A PARKING LOT, SO HARD UNTIL MY TIRE ROD BENT AT A 90* ANGLE. MY PASSENGER AIRBAG DIDN'T DEPLOY. NONE OF MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. THERE WAS NO BLIND SPOT WARNING. EVEN AFTER THE IMPACT, THERE WAS NO ALARM OR NOTIFICATION OF THE DAMAGE, AS THE FIREMEN WERE ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE MY CAR OUT OF THE ROAD.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 3, 2020Power train, Structure, Unknown or otherCrash reportedODI 11377617

Exterior lighting

20 reports2 fires
“Electrical issue with drivers side front blinker works when headlights are off but when headlights are turned on front blinker does not work. I’ve seen numerous complaints about the same issue with this vehicle amongst other electrical issues”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 9, 2024Electrical system, Exterior lightingODI 11613483
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.