Two problems related to transmission not engage have been reported for the 2002 Jeep Liberty. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Jeep Liberty based on all problems reported for the 2002 Liberty.
Transmission disengages when in reverse. When vehicle is put into reverse, it will move a few feet and then disengage as if in neutral. I have to put it back in park or in neutral, then back into reverse, go a few feet, it disengages again. I repeat this stupid process until I get where I need to be and then shift into drive. Dealership says they have no idea how to fix the problem, and Chrysler is aware of problem and working on a fix. I have been dealing with this on a daily basis for over a month (at least 3 times each day I have to put the vehicle in reverse).
While driving at any speed and with no warning, the transmission locked up, and the vehicle became hard to control. The consumer was forced to pull over. The dealer was notified. The manual transmission locked up in the 2nd or 3rd gear and became difficult to disengage. Once you get it going again, after 5-10 seconds later for the next 3-4 shifts, the second gear was tough to get out of. The consumer was almost rear ended twice.