I have a 2008 Jeep Liberty, a few days ago my wipers starting going when I turned the car on (thinking I had hit it) I looked to notice the switch was off. Hmm. Then I noticed my blinkers weren't working nor would my headlights turn off. My husband took out the fuse for my wipers so I could drive safely especially since it wasn't raining. I took it to the Jeep dealership this am at 8:00 am and was told it would cost at least $120 to test and could take about 4 to 6 hours. plus the labor and parts.

30

Asked by Zwirtz77 Apr 08, 2013 at 10:06 AM about the 2008 Jeep Liberty Limited

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

16 Answers

48,615

trade it. it will give you nothing but problems.

4 people found this helpful.
176,035

Do the turn signals work with the wiper fuse out? Are the headlights still on? The only common denominator is the multi function switch on the steering column. You just saved $120, buy a new switch. --- You can also go to JeepForum.com for a second opinion and perhaps DIY switch replacement instructions.

8 people found this helpful.
Best Answer Mark helpful
30

The turn signals don't work with or without the fuse in. The headlights stay on all the time unless the car is off. Thanks so much for your thoughts I really appreciate it. I will have my husband give it a try. Thanks again

3 people found this helpful.
48,615

I wouldnt call throwing parts at something saving money. You can pay the money and have it diagnosed correctly the first time. and if diagnosed incorrectly good shops stand behind their work so usually they will fix it. You have 3 controls modules in the headlamp circuit. The steering control module recieves the signal from the switch and via CAN bus goes to the insrument cluster and TIPM under the hood which in turn powers the lamps. There are many variables in which to consider. I suggested trading it because this is what you get into on chrysler vehicles it takes 3 computers to turn lights on. The lights and turn signals work off the same switch yes, but are seperate functions within the switch and is unlikely the whole switch took a dump. more likely there is a connection or wiring issue with one of the modules or the switch or atleast that is my experience with these vehicles. so yes you can spend the 50-100 and buy the switch and then if that doesnt fix it, you wanna pay the diag. fee then? or who knows the switch may even fix it. but i never get my hopes up putting hard parts on anything chrysler, because they are electrical nightmares.

2 people found this helpful.
120

I have the same problem w/ my 2008 Liberty. When I start my car the wipers start going & all the lights on the dash go on & off. The turning signals, speedometer, gas needle, & pretty much everythingelse doesn't work. I have to go through this whole ritual of turning the car off, opening doors, locking & unlocking the doors, then try to crank it again. But that doesn't always work. It seems to happen more when it's time for an oil change cause the indicator light comes on before my car starts acting crazy. Is it booby trapped by the manufacturer?!?!?!

12 people found this helpful.
19,845

these vehicals here are having a can buss issue. when the buss goes down, the wipers come on and headlamps come on. there is probably a module gone bad. you need to unplug them one at a time to determine which one is bad. My experance is to start with the radio.

6 people found this helpful.
160

there is a technical service bulletin out from jeep on this problem. i believe it is a bad shielding job on the cabin module. easiest fix is to pull the red battery terminal off the battery for a minute, then replace it. this resets the module and car is fine. i carry a wrench in the glovebox for whenever this problem occurs---i have the tool to remove battery cable. happened twice in three years ive had 2008 jeep liberty

16 people found this helpful.
110

easiest fix is to pull the red battery terminal off the battery for a minute, then replace it. Thanks for your post it worked

11 people found this helpful.
30

THANK-YOU sooooo much for this! My Jeep 2008 Liberty is having the same problem! It just started yesterday (Wednesday) and I am trading it in on another vehicle on SATURDAY!!! I will try this tonight. Hopefully it will work! I am sad to say goodbye to this vehicle because I ABSOLUTELY love it, but it is just having too many problems lately!

3 people found this helpful.
55

Pulling the red cable off the battery didn't work for me (or at least not right away), but time did. I pulled it off twice and the wipers still wouldn't stop, blinkers didn't work, rear wiper didn't work, lights stayed on and the washer fluid wouldn't work. Interestingly when I started the car with the remote start, the wipers weren't on until I put the key in to drive. Has anyone identified what caused this in the first place? My car has nothing aftermarket added to the electrical system. This issue is the second type of wiring issue I've had with my 08 Liberty. The first was the heater/fan stopped blowing completely a couple times in the dead of winter. The wiper issue and the heater issue both occurred after driving on rainy/wet roads. Has anyone experienced something similar when wet? Both issues have gone away once I think the car has dried up or in under 24 hours, but this isn't something I want to keep reoccurring at bad times. Not ready to sell yet either ...

5 people found this helpful.
60

It's the relays under the hood, they often go bad, replace it with a genuine Chrysler Jeep relay because aftermarket relays are not the same quality for some reason Chrysler original OEM are better. You can buy them online for relatively decent prices. If that doesn't work then you actually have a wiring problem. Somewhere in that car. I hope this helps everyone out there, cuz my windshield wipers just stopped working today, I disconnected the battery, the low end came up, and then I had to replace the high-end relay, I've had this happen to the AC clutch, the fuel pump, and starter, it is important to use OEM relays because for some reason they work better. Hope this helps everyone out there with their Liberties, I love my Liberty and I wouldn't trade it in for anything regardless of all the problems I had. Catalytic converters, condenser, radiator, water pumps and fuel pumps. I still wouldn't trade it as one of the best trucks I've ever had so far.

2 people found this helpful.
30

I'm having the same problem here as Zwirtz77. I'll give a try on unplugging the battery.

1 people found this helpful.
10

Thanks to gdenk315 whom answered 5 years ago. I had the same problem yesterday and this morning I followed his/her instructions and it worked. I've heard of this before but I did not try it before. If you have the same problem, Try it. Thanks

1 people found this helpful.
20

It worked! Disconnecting the positive (red cable) and reconnecting after a minute on the battery restored my temp and gas gauge, wipers, lights and turn signals. The issue happened after 2 days of rain. Let’s see how long this will work.

2 people found this helpful.
30

I've solved the problem disconnecting the ceiling lights poping it out and connecting again. The real problem is the CAN bus. There a re many components on this bus. The ceiling lights, the drive mode command in the central trunk, the directions lights. I brought my jeep to the garage and the guy replaced the turning lights command without solving the problem. I fund the solution by myself. The real cause was rust on the ceiling right over the ceiling lights. Water entered the car by that place. I had tons of problems with this car. One of them was the remote key control. My doors used to open alone in a parking or in my driveway. I've final gave up and threw away that car to leaver foundation. Just problems...

2 people found this helpful.

i had the same problem, disconnected the positive cable ( actually disconnected both cables, and cleaned them, they were very dirty) waited a minute and everything is working. thanks

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