2003 Jeep Liberty Renegade from North America - Comments

When I bought the truck the front rotors were warped, had them turned by the dealer and 6 months later, they are warped again.

When starting from a stop or going up hill, I get a noise that sounds like something grinding or rubbing.

Generally, I like the vehicle, but I don't like Jeep's service, sales, or support.

Warped rotors. Sorry friend, but that condition is a result of ones driving. Rotors warp when they've gotten too hot, too many times. What's worse it's not especially easy to do. My guess is you ride your brakes or something. Perhaps when driving down the road, you may inadvertently and lightly rest your left foot on brake. This would cause the brakes to get extremely hot. The vehicle however, would still roll.

Did you buy your liberty new or used. Trust me. A brand new vehicle isn't going to have warped brakes. I don't even think an overzealous, pimple-faced lot attendant at the dealership could warp a set of brakes if he tried.

Look, I'm not trying to insult your driving skills or lack there of. I just have a lot of seat time in these Liberty's and truly know their strengths and weaknesses. Jeep Liberty's have strong brakes. I've spent many a hour modifying these Liberty's. I 've become a virtual expert on them and I can easily identify a person who should probably leave the driving to someone else. A friend or peer perhaps.

In other words, sit back, relax and enjoy your Jeep Liberty... from the passenger seat.

Good luck, Peter S.

Warped rotors are not a driving issue. Warped rotors are a result of the wheels being over-torqued. It sounds like whoever was doing the repair turned the rotors then incorrectly torqued them.

All of you are crazy. Do you even have any idea of the number of cars on the road today that have warped rotors? All are different sizes, shaped, weights, and drivers. And most of the time ITS not from the driver. It is due to the fact that these CHEAP car makers are using CHEAP materials in the rotors and they are also using brake pads that are made of organic materals that cause hot spots on the rotors. When you have hot spots, you have a pulsation. The term "warped" is not true. But who ever likes to blame warped rotors on driver error, has no clue..

Sorry folks, but the person that said the uneven rotors are from over torquing the wheels is correct. As a ASE mechanic, I see it frequently. It's usually caused by someone with an air wrench tightening lug nuts way beyond specs. Those torque specs are there for a reason.

It's almost impossible to cause this by using the brakes hard.

I am a certified ASE tech. I can tell you all from 15 years of working on BMW's at Plaza Motors (a dealership in St. Louis), that, by all means you can "warp" rotors with the brake pedal. I can't tell you how many pulsating brake pedals come into our service department. With a little bit of tactful customer questioning, the problem can often be linked to some elderly lady who constantly rides the brakes and builds up too much heat. Or more times than not, some guy's 16 year-old son took the 540i out when he was gone, just to see what it could do. Trust me, three or four hard stops from 70 mph can have rotors glowing orange. That abuse will cause tiny cracks or distortions to develop on the rotor. Dad comes home, steps on the brakes while driving down the road, and wa-la pulsating brakes or what is commonly called warped rotors.

So with that said, the first reviewer was accurate. Don't blame the machine. Blame the driver. And yes, a so called mechanic with a happy air gun can over tighten the lugs causing rotor damage. Hope this info helps.

Have you taken your Jeep to another dealership to see what they say? I've had some minor problems with mine (paint defects, vibrations in rear) and have been told by customer service that they are nothing and to be expected. But after taking my Jeep to another dealership they have had them fixed without comment. Just remember that Jeeps are generally good quality vehicles, but they are only as good as the people servicing them. Also remember that if you find someone who seams to be like this, the dealership may not know of the problem, so if you have a genuine case like that, you should bring it up to the dealership.

I've got a 2003 Jeep Lemon... Err Liberty (limited Edition). I never drive with my foot resting on the brake pedal, but my rotors also are warped. I don't notice the effects, except if I touch the pedal while driving at the higher speeds...The steering wheel starts wobbling. These are replacement rotors, by the way, that the dealer put in after I had major trouble with squeaking brakes (within months of purchase)...It has to be a fault with the rotors. My driving habits have never changed over the last 35 years, yet, I've never experienced this problem before.

If you use lifetime brake pads with regular rotors it will do the same thing. Something has to wear!

Brake vibration can also be due to (pad transfer) Jeep factory pads are notorious for this. The rubbing noise (if fist heard w/vehc. is cold) is rear pads.I've been able to fix this by light cut on rotor then use gasket removal biscuit and drill to remove directional cut from lathe. THE JEEP DOCTOR.