This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The fj cruiser is a common issue for rot/ rust on the frame of the vehicle, I have clean the frame often during the winter months and my frame is continuously rusting and rotting the frame of the vehicle I have decided to not drive the vehicle till the frame is either replaced or repaired due to the safety concern of driving it on the road, numerous others have same incidents of the holes in the frame due to rust the manufacturer did not put any kind of corrosion treatment on the frame to stop this from happening the frame flexes when accelerating and is not safe for anyone to including my passengers or other people on the road
recently purchased used from dealership. Excessive rust on lower frame and other components (transmission and power steering lines) as well as suspension. This is not a flood vehicle. Initially took it to Toyota for repairs of the lines and trans. The quote was too high, so I took it to local shops for repair. The local shops were surprised by the amount of rust. Trans was fixed but the shops refused to fix other components that attached to the frame because they fear they will cause more damage. Visited several FJ Cruiser forums and frame rust issues are incredibly common with the FJ, to the point where there are class action lawsuits. Toyota needs to step up and fix this issue for FJ owners!
I purchased the car from an individual on Dec. 12, 2020. Less than 30 days ago. I brought it to the body shop to see if they could fix the rattling sound that came from when I hit a bump. The cars body is in great condition. The mileage when I bought the car was 183,800. I assumed I may need to do some work on the car, but the body shop told me that the sound I was hearing was different parts of the undercarriage that had rusted so badly that they where close to falling off. Including the gas tank. They told me that Fj cruisers where known for rusty under bottoms and that I would be a safety risk to myself and others if I drove the car. They also said the car was beyond normal repair. I will attached photos they sent me. I have driven the car 1,500 miles and it is considered undrivable and unfixable. I got a second opinion. Without knowing the results of the first opinion they came to the exact same conclusion. Except they told me to reach out to you.
Severe rust issues. Entire rear differential required replacement. All power steering and automatic transmission lines needed replacement, fuel lines are next fuel tank straps rusted and broke off, tank fell down. Brake pad pins required cutting off. Protection plates rusted off. Exhaust system components required replacement due to rust. Entire frame and engine compartment covered in rust. All these items have caused multiple safety issues. Multiple straps and connections for various components are no longer usable due to rust.
- Huguenot, NY, USA
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Rear differential carrier is bad. This is a known problem to Toyota; bad gears in 2007 models. They corrected it in 2010 with upgraded gears. This should have been recalled by Toyota since they were aware of the problem.my fj has only 80,000 miles and no rear end should go out at this low mileage.the repairs for this at Toyota service center is $4,000.
When I cruise on a highway around 70mph, my car suddenly lost power. I was very scared but tried to move the car to curb, then the car died. One minute later I tried to restart the car but failed. I called the road assistance service. When they came and poured in one gallon gas in the car, then the car was started. The problem is that before the car died, the fuel indicator pointer pointed at the a quarter position. The fuel empty warning light was not on.
Went to gas station today to fill up my fj with gas and the fuel tank straps broke in 2 places. The bolted and pinned connections are still there but the actual straps have deteriorated and snapped right in half. The fuel tank is now hanging down completely in the rear. First the rear differential manufacturer's defect which they would not pay for at all, now the front seat belt does not work at all and now the fuel tank is about to fall off on the road. What a hazard.
When stopping at a red light or stop sign, the automatic transmission has not down shifted to first gear. So while stopped, the car will suddenly lung forward as if hit from behind. This is extremely dangerous for pedestrian crossing in front of the car. There is a very real potential for the car to hit a person when it lunges forward. Since realizing this problem, I intentionally hold down the brake harder than I should have too. There are other issues with the transmission but I though that particular issue is very dangerous. The vehicle has approx 70,000 miles and although this problem was happening from time to time, it is becoming more frequent to where I have to assume it every time I come to a stop.
Read differential has failed. Years affected are 2007-2009. In 2010 Toyota issued an updated stronger version of the differential. When differential fails it can lock up both wheels at high speeds thus losing control. There are over 2000 complaints online and over 10000 complaints with Toyota alone. It is not only costly it is very dangerous. Mine broke at 40 mph and I ended up in a ditch. What if I had been doing 60 or
Purchased Fj cruiser in 2010 with approximately 30,000 miles on it. Shortly thereafter, upon acceleration at low speed, the entire vehicle started vibrating; however, the vibration stopped as I accelerated to a higher speed. I noticed that this only occurred when I started with the transmission in D(rive) but never occurred if I started with gear shift in D2. Complained to dealership(Toyota South in morrow, ga) while still within the 60,000 mile power train warranty. The dealership never acknowledged a problem with the transmission. They even suggested that I replace my U-bolt. In 2013, after starting my fj, I heard a loud knocking sound, so I immediately turned it off and had it towed to the dealership. I was told that I needed a new engine due to oil starvation. I parked the vehicle in my garage until this year(2016). I had it towed to the same dealership for another diagnosis. However, this year I'm finally told that my engine is fine, but I need another transmission. This is the same transmission that I complained about while still under warranty. To makes matters even worse, the shady dealership kept no record of my complaints about the transmission while under warranty. I contacted Toyota's corporate office, but of course, they provided no assistance.
At mild acceleration and only when between 1,000-2,000 RPM the vehicle starts to shake / rumble from the rear similar to driving over rumble strips. The rumbling stops as soon as the accelerator is let go of or as soon as the vehicle's RPM falls outside of the 1,000-2,000 range. It is obvious that this is coming from the rear differential assembly. Toyota is well aware of this problem but refuses to provide a fix even though this is clearly an issue of defect in design or build. Our government should protect the taxpayer on this one and force Toyota to enact a recall.
I took my fj to have the transmission fluid drained and refilled. They decided to do a complete review although I see no tool makes they told me I need to replace my rear differential, and told me as if they just knew it was an issue. The cost was $2360. I went home and did some very brief research and found that this is a known issue for 2009 and later Fj cruisers. In 2010 they changed the rear axle. A huge number of owners on the fj cruise forums have pointed out the issue. The cost at the dealer would be to replace it with the same parts that have not been updates and would fail again. Toyota clearly knows the issue and more than likely knew when producing the original fjs. My fj has never been off road and only used for normal commuting. I don't speed or drive poorly, and my driving record is completely clean. I found a good explanation on an axle web site. The 2009 & older Fj cruisers, 4runners, and prado 120 utilize the 8' which dates back to 1979, and was originally used in 3000 lb MINItrucks with 80 horsepower and 27' tires. Late model modified Toyota such as Fj cruiser run at double the weight, triple the horsepower, and much larger tires to top it off. For this reason there have been lots of failures, enough so that Toyota upgraded the rear to the 8.2' on the 2010 & newer models. It may seem like a small upgrade but there are significant improvements such as beefier casting, larger bearings, larger pinion diameter, larger ring gear diameter, more tooth contact, and a beefier 12 bolt diff case. This makes for an easy swap for your vehicle and will utilize your existing axle shafts, brakes, ABS system etc. This is a big safety issue as this could fail at highway speeds.
Rear diff has gone out and is making a loud noise at high speeds. This could potentially kill everyone in my fj if on the interstate and is a problem Toyota is aware of. This should warrant a recall for public safety and Toyota should be held responsible.
Replaced rear differential $2,500, was advised when picking up the car the frame has rotted out. Mechanic advises life of vehicle approximately 2 years. We would have never repaired the vehicle had we known. I have been advised this is a known Toyota problem.
After 76,000 miles the rear axle started making a whining noise. Took to dealership and they said the rear axle needed to be replaced at a cost of $3700. If this rear axle would have broken at highway speeds, I would have lost control of my vehicle which could have caused a major accident. Toyota knew that the rear ring and pinion gear were defective due to over treating at the factory, but failed to notify any owners of Fj cruisers and to issue a recall for that particular problem. This vehicle had never done any off roading of any sort. Toyota has caused a situation for anyone that owns one of these vehicles to put themselves and their passengers at grave risk of causing a major accident if the rear axle gears should fail at highway speeds and or in the process of off roading, which Toyota claims this vehicle is designed to do.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Columbus, OH, USA