Overview & Reviews

Sold from 2002-'12, the Jeep Liberty was the successor to one of America's original compact SUVs, the Cherokee (which returned in 2014). True to its tough, capable Jeep lineage, the Liberty has considerable off-road capability, thanks to steep approach and departure angles and exceptional suspension travel and articulation. The Liberty was also rated to tow up to 5,000 pounds, a robust figure for its class. These are qualities not found in most other small utility vehicles from this time period, which saw the rise of crossover SUVs optimized for the suburban lifestyle.

Demerits for the Jeep Liberty include a weak engine lineup, with sluggish acceleration and dismal fuel economy from both the four-cylinder and V6 engines offered over the years (the first generation's briefly optional diesel engine is impressively fuel-efficient, however). Interior quality and comfort are also lacking, and by today's standards, the Liberty's general lack of refinement leaves much to be desired.

User Reviews:

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  Window Regulators - 2006 Jeep Liberty
  By JKaplan - February 24 - 1:50 am

  I was excited about the purchase of my Jeep, until, yup the rear, then front passenger side window fell! Ive had them repaired/replaced 4x. I even wrote to the BBB concerning this safety issue. I am lucky to be under warranty and I have to laugh at all the Duct Tape users that own a Jeep Liberty (been there, done that!) Recently my map lights wouldnt go off and rather than drain my battery until I could get to my Dealer for repair, we disconnected the lights..well, that cost me $124 when someone could have told me, lady, check the switch! The manual was no help (showed other schematics, not one of mine!)

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  Love it! - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By MissA1987 - February 15 - 2:00 am

  Ya know someone said they would rather have a toyota, yeah go ahead itll be recalled in no time. I did have a foreign car before I got my Jeep. But I hated it, it was awful on the highway. Ive had no problems with my jeep with the past five years that Ive had it. And here I am almost 100,000 miles later and Im still driving it. And I actually started a trend because right after, I let both my sisters, my best friend and my cousin drive it and ya know what they traded in their foreign cars for a JEEP as well. And Im not trying to be mean, but maybe yall dont know how to drive. The only thing I dont like are the seats, but if thats the price I have to pay to buy AMERICAN so be it!

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  Good Vehicle - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By New Owner - February 11 - 5:06 pm

  The Jeep Liberty is a good vehicle for both city/highway driving. I havent offroaded it yet so cant comment on that. The interior is spacious and my only complaint is that the glove compartment is too small and the power window buttons are between the front seats rather than on the doors. It has excellent pickup and I do get 20mpg with highway driving and around 14-16mpg on city driving. There are times when Ive felt the vehicle slightly tilt when I make sharp turns but then, you should careful when making turns at high speeds. On the whole, I love my Liberty and am looking forward to go offroading with it.

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  MY NEW JEEP - 2003 Jeep Liberty
  By bethtylbrand - January 18 - 10:00 am

  MY HUSBAND AND I BOTH OWNED JEEP GRAND CHEROKEES. I TRADED MINE IN ON THIS LIBERTY. AT FIRST IT WAS A LITTLE GETTING USED TO, BUT WITH ALL OF THE ADDED FEATURES IT DIDNT TAKE LONG. THE ONLY THINGS I WOULD CHANGE WOULD BE THE WINDOW CONTROLS,AND TO PUT SOME TYPE OF HANDLE ON THE BACK FLIP UP WINDOW TO AVOID THE HAND PRINTS. WHEN YOU CLOSE THE WINDOW YOU HAVE TO TOUCH THE GLASS. THESE ARE LIVABLE AS THEY ARE, BUT SINCE YOU ASKED, THAT WOULD BE ALL WOULD CHANGE. THANKS, DIANE

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  A love hate relationship - 2003 Jeep Liberty
  By munckin001 - January 13 - 10:00 am

  I love the Jeep, Sturdy, responsive, good towing ability, good power on high end lacks power in mid range.with 55,000 miles I am getting 19-22 mpg. Get ABS! have had 2 accidents due to brakes locking up while making turns on slick surfaces or turning on to gravel, have had 5 near miss accidents. No dealer help on this issue, that is the hate part of the relationship, dealers are not willing to back up thier product...Visit National highway transportation safety site for consumer complaints.

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  Great buy for the money - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By Sarah - January 8 - 12:10 pm

  I have had my Jeep Liberty for just over two years and have never had a problem with it. This is my fourth Jeep, and with my Liberty, I have not run into some of the problems I had with prior ones. There was one window leak recall, but other than that, it has been smooth sailing. There are some great features with the Jeep, and I especially love the responsive handling and added features. Its fun to drive and very safe feeling. Its comfortable from the front seat or back and has good cargo room if you arent trying to bring home large furniture or more than one stroller. All Ive ever done is routine maintenance, no other break-downs or problems!

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  way cool - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By rlbrich - January 1 - 9:30 pm

  I love my Jeep, right now it is a totally stocked Renegade. I plan on adding a lift kit and larger tires. I keep on eye on the Liberty websites for news and ideas to improve my Liberty. The family loves to go off road and to go geocaching. This is an awesome vehicle. My Liberty is so much better then my first Cherokee was.

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  I love my Jeep Liberty! - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By gagonzo - December 30 - 10:00 am

  You have to find an oportunity to go off road with this Jeep. It is a little mountain goat, for sure. Loves to go fast on the freeway and gets much better gas mileage at high speeds. Can pull anything with ease, but gulps gas when it does. I am looking for ways to increase the gas mileage now. Leave it dirty, because will all the fancy body cladding, it is hard to wash.

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  Third Jeep - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By Wayne Thompson - December 28 - 12:13 pm

  Not a CJ-5 or CJ-7 (have had both) but still basically a Jeep (my third). Took it out last weekend in dirt, mud and snow which it handles acceptably. Would work better with more aggressive A-T tires. The power windows/doors strike me as un-Jeeplike (especially lack of conventional locks on 3 doors & rear tailgate).

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  Everything is great except the engine - 2008 Jeep Liberty
  By aftershock973 - December 13 - 9:56 am

  Ive had my Liberty Sport now for about 3 months. I was first drawn to its rugged good looks and 4x4 reputation. I have to say it the interior is extremely comfortable and the seats are very supportive. Acceleration from a stop is very good, but highway passing... forget it. The V6 feels so sluggish that you have to jam your foot on the gas pedal to get the transmission to downshift into 3rd gear. Everything on this Jeep is great, but they should have revamped the engine and transmission instead of using the version from the old Liberty.