2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER Complaints

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 MINI TRUCKS WITH 80 HORSEPOWER AND 27' TIRES. LATE MODEL MODIFIED TOYOTAS 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.

THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR IN MY 2007 FJ CRUISER IS FAILING TO FUNCTION CORRECTLY. SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT TO THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE LIFETIME WARRANTY OF THE VEHICLE. INSTEAD, TOYOTA IS TELLING ME THAT I WILL HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THESE PARTS REPLACED. IN DOING SOME RESEARCH I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT OTHERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE. I'M DISAPPOINTED THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE TO CORRECT THEIR ERROR IN CRAFTSMANSHIP.

WINDSHIELD WIPERS HAVE FAILED TO WORK FOR LONG PERIODS OR HAVE TO PLAY WITH SWITCH TO WORK RIGHT. TOOK CAR IN YEARS AGO WHILE UNDER WARRANTY TO FIX AND RESOLVED PROBLEM FOR A FEW YEARS BUT IS NOW REOCCURRING. ALSO DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WINDOW SWITCH INTERMITTENLY WORKS. I DONT KNOW IF THIS IS CONNECTED TO WIPER SWITCH BUT HAVE SEEN RECALLS ON OTHER TOYOTAS THAT HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND HAD A RECALL BUT NONE FOR FJ. SPECIFICS TURN ON CAR, TURN ON SLECTOR SWITCH FOR WIPERS "SLOW THRU HIGH IT DONT MATTER". WIPERS DONT WORK.

RUST. UNUSUAL RUST EVERYWHERE IN MY 2007 FJ CRUISER. EVEN THE FRONT MOTOR MOUNTS ARE RUSTED. THE REAR BUMPER INSIDE, FRAME, REAR DIFFERENTIAL EVERYTHING IS EXTREMELY RUSTED. EVEN THE TRAILER LIGHT PLUGS ARE FALLING OFF DUE TO RUST. THIS IS A CITY CAR AND WE DON'T TAKE IT TO OFFROAD, AND BEING ONLY 74000 MILES, IT'S SCARY TO LOOK UNDER. IF GIVES THE FEELING THAT ONE DAY WHEELS MAY FALL OFF FROM THE FRAME. I HAVE SEARCHED IN THE INTERNET AND REALIZED THAT MOST FJ CRUISER OWNERS HAVE SAME ISSUE. WE PAID 30+ THOUSAND FOR A CAR WHICH IS FALLING APART WITH RUST IN 7 YEARS. HOPE SOMETHING CAN BE DONE.

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.

RECENTLY, MY FJ CRUISER LOSES BRAKES AND IT HAS ALMOST MADE ME GET INTO A COUPLE ACCIDENTS. THE BRAKE PEDDLE WILL GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND I HAVE HAD TO USE MY E-BRAKE TO STOP. PUMPING THE BRAKE USE TO WORK BUT NOW THE BRAKES WONT COME BACK FOR A WHILE. THIS HAPPENS AT ANY MPH AND THE BRAKE HAVE EVEN GONE OUT WHEN I'M STATIONARY.

MY 2007 FJ CRUISER HAS ABOUT 125,000 MILES ON IT. LAST WEEK I NOTICED THAT WHEN I DRIVE 45-50 MPH THE TRUCK MAKES A NOISE AND SHAKING IN THE REAR END AND BOUNCES SLIGHTLY. THE TRUCK IS AUTOMATIC BUT WHEN THIS HAPPENS IT FEELS AS IF I'M DRIVING AN AUTOMATIC VEHICLE AND AM IN THE WRONG GEAR. (LOOSE FEELING POWER TRAIN) THEY CHECKED THE UNIVERSALS AND THEY WERE FINE AND CHANGED THE FLUID IN THE REAR PUMPKIN BUT STILL NO FIX. NOW THEY ARE TELLING ME TRY REPLACING THE FLUIDS AND FILTERS IN THE TRANSMISSION. (ANOTHER $180.00 REPAIR BILL) THIS SOUND ONLY HAPPENS WHEN I'M COASTING WITH ACCELERATOR AT 45-50 MPH AND NOT GOING UP ANY HILLS OR HEAVY ACCELERATION. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO DO THE TRANSMISSION SERVICE AND I HOPE IT FIXES THE PROBLEM.

RECENTLY I NOTICED MY FJ CRUISER HAS INNER FENDER CRACKS UNDER THE HOOD INSIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, BIGGER THAN 5 INCHES LONG, ON THE BOTH SIDES OF SHEET METAL OF THE FENDER, AND THE HOOD HAS BULGES ALSO AT BOTH SIDES. I CALL TOYOTA AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, AND THEY JUST TOLD ME THAT MY VEHICLE HAS A CHASSIS AND THIS SHOULD NOT BOTHER ME. ALSO THEY TELL ME THAT MY VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY, SO THEY CANT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I DO A SEARCH OVER THE INTERNET FOR INNER FENDER CRACKS, AND FOUND THIS TO BE A RECURRENT PROBLEM IN THE SAME PLACE THAT CRACKS OCCUR ON THE FJ CRUISER, SOME VEHICLES CRACKS ARE BIGGER AND SOME ARE SMALLER, BUT IT IS JUST MATTER OF TIME TO HAPPENS. I AM NOT A CAR TECHNICIAN, BUT I AM REALLY WORRIED ABOUT MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY, SO I OPT TO NOT DRIVE WITH MY FAMILY MEMBERS, I DON'T REALLY KNOW IF THOSE CRACKS CAN MAKE THE VEHICLE COLLAPSE AT THE FRONT. I REALLY NEED SOME PROFESSIONAL HELP.