Two problems related to water pump 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.
My car experienced a sporadic rough idle over a 2 week period. One day the check engine light when on after starting the car. After reading the codes cylinder 2 was determined to be the issue. A shop replaced the ignition coil and all seemed well. The next day after driving the car all day with no issue, I restarted the Jeep after a 10 minute break and it would not start. When it finally started it sounded like half the cylinders were not firing and had a slapping sound. Towed it to dealership and was told cylinder 2 had no compression and it needed a new cylinder head. Both sides would cost $3,500. Parts were ordered and 10 days later they called me and said there were other problems and the cylinder head was not the issue. Piston seemed bent and it needed a long engine block and a water pump. This would cost $7,000. Not worth the fix. It seems cylinder 2 is an issue in many Libertys of this year.
My 2002 Jeep Liberty was bought brand new from the dealer. About two months ago I was driving on the highway when all of a sudden the dashboard turned off and then turned back on, then my car started shaking like it was about to stall, and the engine light started to blink. I got scared because I didn't want my engine to stall and break down in the middle of the highway since it can be very dangerous, so I got off the highway and parked it in a lot over night so that I could take it straight to the dealer the next day. I took it to the dealer very carefully, my car started over heating when it was sitting in place/ traffic for more than one minute, and then it would cool back down when it was moving. Finally at the dealer they changed the water pump, thermostat, and one of the coils. The dealership said the problem was fixed and sent me off. Within that week my car started acting up again, the engine light began to flash again and I noticed my car was still being jumpy. I took it back and it turns out it had blown head gaskets, not only that but the heads were not even repairable. I need a complete new engine. I looked online and have found that it is very common for Jeep Liberty's to have a major engine problem. There is obviously something wrong with the way Jeep builds their engines. There needs to be a recall, it is a defect in the Liberty's. There have been multiple complaints of Jeep engines breaking down with no signs. Also as a side note, the seat belt on the drivers side doesn't really click and sometimes un buckles on its own. There is also an electrical problem, the inside lights turn off and on all the time by themselves.