Steering wheel leather wore out at 30k miles.
3 ball joint recalls.
Rear hatch refuses to open at will.
Windows grind wobble and squeak as they go up and down.
Raindrops leave stains on seats.
One transmission recall.
Harsh cheap engine.
Transmission and axles have lots of slop.
With ABS and 4x4, the car is unbeatable in snowy climates.
I love the way the car looks. I have actually taken it off road about 10 times in the three years I have bought it, and it's unstoppable in off road trails, the two speed transfer case, and high ground clearance make it an unstoppable combination.
Unfortunately, in day to day use it sucks. The car is a tad bit too high to lift heavy things into the hatch. The seats were obviously designed to make short women feel like they are on top of the world. I'm 5'11 and I wish I could lower the seat down a little...I can't see the traffic lights if I'm the first in line...the seat is too tall. The butt cushion is too short, and the seat feels like its too damn far from the pedals in any position.
It snowed for the first time yesterday, and I said YES, 4WD and ABS to the rescue!!! Then while cruising down the road, I signaled to make a right turn, and the interior lights started flashing with the turn signal!!!! HAHAHAHA. The leather on the steering wheel wore out at 30k miles (I had a 2001 Chrysler Sebring that did the same thing).
The entire driveline, the axles, the trans have a lot of freeplay, if you are backing up, and then shift forward, it KLUNKS hard as you take up all the slop.
The windows sometimes make a horrible nails on a chalk board squeak as they go up and down.
This is the only car I've ever had where a rain drop will leave a stain on the upholstery.
I will say the A/C and heat work incredibly well.
The radio pulls in weak stations other cars wont.
The engine is peppy, but terribly harsh, and noisy in a bad way. It gets terrible fuel economy, but I blame that on the excess bulk of the car.
The ride can be harsh and choppy on the highway, but it's a capable off roader, so that isn't a detriment.
My car is for sale, but there isn't a big market for overweight, small SUVs that are cheap and harsh, and get terrible gas mileage.
Unless you are driving off road everyday, this car is a pass. When I drive it I can tell why Chrysler is on the brink of collapse... they have made crap for too long, and expected people to buy it.
I don't think you can condemn all American cars, based on your experience with one Liberty.
It seems like most of the complaints would have been obvious on a test drive.
Your steering wheel problems are most likely from sweaty hands, not a Chrysler defect, especially since you said it happened to another vehicle. Let me ask you, did you ever clean the steering wheel?...probably not. Other cars that you may have had must have had non-leather wrapped steering wheels. I see this in all cars with leather steering wheels, it's a problem with the owner and lack of care for the vehicle.
I'm the original poster and happy to say someone bought this turd off me with their tax return... HA HA HA... Maintenance on a steering wheel? GEE... I had a 1993 Mustang and a 2000 BMW 323...both with leather wheels... how odd that my hands didn't mess up those wheels. I also still have a 1995 Miata with a leather wheel, and that's still intact.
This company needs to just go away. There is no excuse for such poor quality cars anymore. I hope they go bankrupt.
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