Speedometer inop

[dagwan11]

Just a little info for you Liberty owners. I have a 2005 Jeep Liberty that suddenly had the speedometer intermittent and go to 0, cruise control would not work, odometer would not read, power locks did not work, and a MIL light on. At first I had a code for brake switch open. Replaced that and worked fine, 2 days later it failed again. I had a software update for the PCM which fixed the problem for 1-day. Problem happened again, found the VSS was bad. The Liberty has been fine since replacing that. Now I just have to fix that stupid window motor that broke on me....

[dagwan11]

Oh, just an update to the whole speedometer issue I've been having. Had the VSS replaced by Jeep and ran good for about 2 weeks. Then all of a sudden driving back on the interstate, the thing went out again. You can drive along so long just using the GPS for speed, so decided to give a local shop a try. Found the differential with water in it and no preload on the bearings(thanks Jeep). Had that all cleaned up and worked the speedometer issue. Found a couple of pins on both the BCM connectors loose. Tightened everything up, so far so good.

[dagwan11]

An update to the whole speedometer issue. Everything worked great until my trip to Orlando. 2 hours on the interstate, and the speedometer starts fluxing and drops to zero. Of course, lost the cruise control and odometer. Swapped vehicles and returned 4 days later, battery was dead. Replaced battery and test drove, speedometer worked but AC is dead. Tech is telling me the AC compressor is toast and couldn't find a problem with the speedometer wiring harness or any error codes. I'm leaning toward an instrument cluster problem(specifically the speedometer portion once it heats up). What a POS.

[dagwan11]

Well, I've installed the replacement instrument cluster. So far so good. Going on a 1000 mile trip here in a couple of days, let you know what happens.

[fredjacksonsan]

Sounds like a lot of little things; hopefully they're all taken care of now.

If you keep getting electrical issues, check your positive battery cables for corrosion. It's unlikely at only 6 years, but it could cause several issues.

[dagwan11]

Positive battery cable? Really? After driving 550 miles one-way, everything worked perfect. Everything worked great on the way back until I turned on the cruise control. 30 minutes after engaging the cruise control, Speedometer started to flux between 50 and 70. Immediately turned off the cruise and speedometer still fluxed between 50 and 70. No other warnings or anything else showed. So, something that links the cruise and instrument cluster and only affecting the speedometer. What a frigging POS!

[fredjacksonsan]

Yes, really. I've had weird electronic issues that were solved by a new positive battery cable. I'm just sayin'.

With that behavior, I'm now thinking there's some sort of short; I'm not the underdash guy here, but connections to/from the instrument cluster or even the cruise control control.

[dagwan11]

It's got to be an connection somewhere, and only shows when the cruise control is on and set. Only problem is, you can't duplicate the problem and immediately drive it to a repair shop to troubleshoot it.

[dagwan11]

Filed a customer notice to Chrysler. They called back wanting a description of the problem. After explaining what it was doing, guy on the phone said there was nothing they could do since it was no longer under warranty. I could have told him that. They were nice enough to give me 8 free oil changes though. So, as long as the cruise stays off, it works great.

[dagwan11]

Well, the monster has raised its ugly head again. Speedometer went out 30 miles down the road and stayed out entire trip. Had code scanned at AutoZone and it was the same old thing again..VSS failure. So, no speedometer and MIL light on the entire time. had local shop check everything today, they tell me it needs the computer from Chrysler to check for communication codes from the BCM to the PCM. Of course, this is going to be a very expensive repair if I go that way with the dealer. Anyone have a match and some gas???

[dagwan11]

The speedometer issue has been fixed. It was the connection to the sensor at the differential. Somehow, somewhere the connection pins came loose. They couldn't just replace the connection, so the dealership has is wrapped in electrical tape to hold it together..what brainiacs! Hey, at least it works.

[dagwan11]

An update for all of you. Been doing some distance driving and my speedometer of course has started going out. After about 150 miles, the speedometer just quits. I have my Garmin as a backup for the speedometer. After it sits overnight, the speedometer works as advertised. I have given up doing anymore troubleshooting on this vehicle. Jeep can't figure it out nor anyone else. It's a wiring issue, but I don't plan on pulling miles of wire out for this again. Guess it's better to let things be as they are....