Axle Assembly problems of the 2004 Jeep Liberty

The contact owns a 2004 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that after making a left turn, the front driver-side wheel detached and no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the lower ball joints, the upper control arms, and the axle had to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 85,439.

This 2004 Jeep Liberty sport was moving less than 5 mph in a parking lot when the left front ball joint fell apart, damaging the axle and pushing the left front tire into the wheel well at an angle. The failure resulted in driver having no steering control and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. Front left ball joint and axle replaced under drive train warranty with $50 deductible. This problem in this model is under NHTSA investigation and we think a recall is needed.

I leased a Jeep Liberty 2004 with 37800 miles on it. While driving to a destination, I lost my way and had to turn into a car park. While in the car park, I suddenly noticed the passenger side of the car dip down with a loud noise. As I parked the car, the car fell further down, so I parked and got out of the car. Looking at the car it appeared to be leaning to the passenger side. Next day while the car was being put on the tow truck, I noticed that both the wheels were falling apart and the middle part of the axle (or whatever holds the two front wheels together) was broken and dragging on the ground. The car had no problem up until this point and it is only 18 months old. Thankfully this whole episode happened while I was in the car park. Had it happened on a highway, it would most likely have been fatal. The car was taken to a Jeep dealer (a week ago). It will be returned tomorrow with me having to pay the full cost of repair. I will argue this with the Jeep dealer tomorrow, as Jeep should take responsibility for the car falling apart and should not only absorb the cost of the repair, but also investigate what went wrong as this kind of failure is bound to be fatal. If the Jeep dealer is not accommodating, we will pursue this through the NHTSA as well as the better business bureau. Worst case we will have to higher a lawyer.

Was making a turn then heard a crunch sound tin he passenger's side, front end of the vehicle collapsed. Towed vehicle to the mechanic, who said it was a default of the dealer. Contacted the dealer, they are going to send someone out but when they get around to it. There was a recall for lower ball joints for 2002 and 2003 models. This happened on August 15, 2005. The front end has to have new axle. It was dragged on the ground and there was all different kinds of fluid on the ground. There was also damage to body of the vehicle. The consumer stated the vehicle was fixed, however the lower ball was not replaced.