Just looking for some advice, I have a newish Jeep Liberty 2011 with only about 30,000 miles on it. I have had some major problems with it in the past two years. First it was the shocks in the rear, then the roof leaked at the satellite radio, and now the electrical system (or part of it) fried yesterday. This is on top of it “losing” oil. I don’t think its burning oil since there is no extra exhaust.
I feel like I got a car made on a Friday, and thinking that I should trade it now what are your thoughts
Thanks in advance ~ `:o)
While I’m a ‘keep it 10 years or more’ guy, in your case it’s been troublesome, and the Liberty is a toublesome car overall, so I’d have no problem trading it in, if you can afford to.
Chrysler almost went out of business, for a reason. I think you can do better.
Accordion
I would advise anyone who owns a Jeep Liberty to trade it in or sell it. I’m a Jeep fan but the Liberty has been troublesome for years. I was looking to buy a Jeep Patriot but I keep getting mixed reviews of them and have held off buying one for now. I owned Jeep Cherokees for many years and never had a major problem. The Patriot reminds me of an updated Cherokee so that’s why I wanted one. If I ever get past the look of the new Cherokee front end styling…I may buy one in a few years. As @texases said…if you can afford to trade the Liberty in do so while it still has value.
I too am a keep it for 300k miles person too. But at some point you have to cut your losses. But this is going to be expensive…
Agree with the others. My research indicated the Liberty is a troublesome vehicle and best to cut your loses.
I hope that these problems were all handled through the warranty. The one exception might be the shocks. I would also trade it.
BTW, if you had it in more than 5 times for the roof, radio, and electrical system, you might get a lemon law replacement. Do a web search for “lemon law” and your state to see what the qualifications are.
All advice that I agree with here.
A vehicle that has had major problems in the first 30,000 miles is unlikely to get better…only worse…as time goes on. History is a good indicator of future reliability.
I am a 200K+/falling apart type either, even had Dodge/Chrysler products and kept them too. But recently, had a Liberty rental for 10 days and would say get rid of it. The car had 15K miles on it and felt like it is going to fall apart. The gas mileage for the size of the car was depressing. The interior plastic was already cracked, there was not enough room for my size 12 feet. I had to add oil and coolant/water for the 1000 miles that I drove it.
Not a good car in general. I had a friend with a Liberty that did well, so some vehicles are good and others aren’t. Looks like your’s was built on a Friday theory might not be far off. Sell it or trade it, and move on.
If you are financing your Jeep, you are probably upside down on the payments…Trading it in could be painful…Find out how much you owe and how much you could get for the Jeep…
I am a keep it for 10 years usually, but I say let it go. I do not know what you should buy next.
Mazda Cx-5
Ford Escape
Ford Explorer
Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai Tuscon
Honda CR-V
Toyota Rav4
Chevy Equinox
Chevy Traverse
Nissan Murano
Nissan Rogue
I agree with Caddyman. Trading it could be very painful unless you trade it in on another Jeep. But with that incentive, who iis to say the next Jeep product will be anymore reliable. Please, please, please…if you do trade, bite the bullet and buy something more reliable and recomended by legitimate test and rating publications like consumer reports.
It would be sad to trade one dog for another and regret the next one just as much. They are now making a new version of the Liberty…never buy a new model. Look elsewhere at more reliable vehicles even if it costs you much more now. A suggestion…buy USED until you can get back on track.
So, just being advised to sell or trade is not enough. You must learn from your mistake so you won’t be here again with the same question in another year or two. I would consider a used CRV or RAV if you want a similar vehicle. A used RAV for example, with 30 k, if cared for will have much more life then a brand new Jeep Liberty like yours and may be quite affordable for you. You can attest to that !
Hi All,
I just wanted to say thanks for all the great advice. Still deciding what to do.
What cars, trucks, suv that is out now would you say has longevity? Thoughts on the Wrangler?
Again thanks for all the advice ~ 
I wouldn’t stay with Jeep if you want reliability/longevity. Look at the list I posted up earlier, those should last longer than any Jeep would.
Thanks bscar I agree with a lot of those cars on the list and will look into them
I think you have a car that is going to continue to have problems. I would not keep it beyond the factory warranty period. Trading it sooner might be best. You’ll take a big hit on depreciation, but you’ll still get more value for it when you trade.
In Jeep’s the new Grand Cherokee gets better mpg than your Liberty and seems to be doing pretty well as far as reliability. I think Wrangler models have more problems, and you really have to like the rough off road nature of the Wrangler. You might even wait for the brand new Cherokee to hit the dealer lots. It is kind of ugly but should be up to date on technology and gets much better mpg over your current Liberty.