What Is The Best Year For The Jeep Liberty?
Jeep has always built reliable, durable vehicles.
Vehicle models such as the Jeep Liberty are attractive models for drivers, even though they aren’t still in production.
What Is The Best Year For The Jeep Liberty?
The 2010 Jeep Liberty was the most reliable model, with a 4-star reliability rating from J.D. Power. This vehicle received excellent safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Additionally, the 2010 Jeep Liberty had only two safety recalls.
Many of Jeep’s first attempts at building a Liberty were riddled with recalls; however, the last few years of production were some of the best models built.
Keep reading to learn more about the best model years for the Jeep Liberty.
2010 Jeep Liberty: the Best Model Year
Jeep produced the first Liberty in 2002.
Although the first few years struggled to gain traction, Jeep continued producing the vehicle until 2012.
After eight years of production, Jeep made its best model yet: the 2010 Jeep Liberty.
The 2010 Jeep Liberty received the highest reliability rating of 4 out of 5 stars from J.D. Power.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration only issued two safety recalls for the 2010 Jeep Liberty, which proves its reliability.
Compared to the ten or more recalls issued for the 2002 through 2004 Liberty models, this is incredible.
The NHTSA issued the first recall for the 2010 Jeep Liberty in January 2010.
This recall regarded the vehicle’s brake booster input rod retaining clip.
During manufacturing, some models received malformed retaining clips.
The second recall issued for this vehicle model pertained to the vehicle’s master cylinder.
According to Chrysler, some vehicles produced that year had an improperly formed master cylinder to hydraulic control unit brake tube assembly end flare.
So long as these recalls were addressed, the 2010 Jeep Liberty will be a reliable vehicle.
Even though safety recalls were issued, the 2010 Jeep Liberty received some of the highest safety ratings out of all models.
The NHTSA did not issue an overall safety rating for this vehicle.
However, take a look at the individual safety ratings in the list below!
- Front Driver Side Crash: 5 stars
- Front Passenger Side Crash: 5 stars
- Driver Side Barrier: 5 stars
- Rear Passenger Side Barrier: 5 stars
- Rollover (4×4 and 4×2): 3 stars
- Dynamic Tip Result: NO TIP
- Rollover risk (4×4): 22.8%
- Rollover risk (4×2): 25.6%
These ratings show that the 2010 Jeep Liberty is an incredibly safe vehicle.
With little roll-over risk, this model works well as an off-roading vehicle.
While safety and reliability matter, so does affordability.
It has been more than ten years since the 2010 Jeep Liberty was produced.
For this reason, the 2010 model can be purchased for approximately $9,000, according to the Kelley Blue Book.
Since the vehicle’s original MSRP was $23,000, this is an amazing deal.
But wait, won’t it cost more to maintain because it is an older vehicle.
Think again. According to Repair Pal, the average annual maintenance costs for a 2010 Jeep Liberty are only $663.
If you properly maintain your 2010 Jeep Liberty, it could continue running for another 10 to 15 years.
Other Good Years for the Jeep Liberty
Although the 2010 Jeep Liberty is the best, several other model years have similar reliability ratings.
Like the 2010 model, these model years are among the last Liberty models Jeep made.
This shows that the company perfected the vehicle right as production ended.
2009 Jeep Liberty
The 2009 Jeep Liberty is the second-best model year for Jeep Liberty.
While this model didn’t receive the highest reliability rating, it was given some of the highest safety ratings and only received one safety recall.
The 2009 Jeep Liberty received the fewest safety recalls of all Liberty models.
Let’s start this discussion by getting reliability out of the way. J.D. Power awarded this vehicle a reliability rating of 2 out of 5 stars, a below-average score.
However, this supposedly unreliable vehicle only has one NHTSA recall.
The only NHTSA recall for the 2009 Jeep Liberty only impacted those that had installed aftermarket suspension kits.
If the 2009 Jeep Liberty you’re considering purchasing uses an aftermarket Rock Krawler suspension kit, verify that the owner addressed this recall.
If it has been, then you have a reliable Jeep Liberty with extra ground clearance!
The main selling point for this model is its safety ratings.
While the NHTSA did not issue an overall safety rating, they did give them high marks in individual categories.
Take a look at the safety ratings for the 2009 Jeep Liberty below!
- Front Driver Side Crash: 5 stars
- Front Passenger Side Crash: 5 stars
- Driver Side Barrier: 5 stars
- Rear Passenger Side Barrier: 5 stars
- Rollover (4×4 and 4×2): 3 stars
- Dynamic Tip Result: NO TIP
- Rollover risk (4×4): 22.8%
- Rollover risk (4×2): 25.6%
These are the same ratings that the 2010 model received. This proves that Jeep can consistently build safe vehicles.
Since the 2009 Jeep Liberty is older, you won’t have to pay as much to own one.
According to the Kelley Blue Book, this model could cost as little as $6,500.
Not only is this model more affordable to purchase initially, but it costs very little to maintain each year.
According to Repair Pal, the average annual repair costs for the 2009 Jeep Liberty are only $612.
With these small numbers, you can save money by purchasing an older model.
2011 Jeep Liberty
The third best model year for the Jeep Liberty was 2011.
Following in the 2010 Jeep Liberty model’s tire tracks, this model received average reliability and safety ratings.
Additionally, the 2011 Jeep Liberty only received three recalls from the NHTSA.
J.D. Power gave the 2011 Jeep Liberty a reliability rating of 3 out of 5 stars.
Though the 2011 Jeep Liberty did not receive as high a reliability rating as the 2010 model, it still got an average score.
You can purchase the 2011 Jeep Liberty for approximately $10,000, according to Kelley Blue Book.
However, we suggest looking for the 2009 or 2010 model first if you’re shopping on a budget.
