2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER Complaints

BOTH PASSENGER AND DRIVER AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT THE IMPACT OF A HEAD ON COLLISION WHICH TOTALLED THE CAR MY SON WAS DRIVING,AND HE SUSTAINED HEAD,BACK AND NECK INJURIES BECAUSE OF THAT.THE CAR LOCKED UP AFTER THE CRASH,DISABLING HIM TO EXIT THE CAR AND HAD TO BE PULLED OUT FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. *TR

I WAS CLEANING THIS VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THERE ARE TEARS IN THE SHEET METAL OF THE BODY. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION ONLINE, I FOUND SEVERAL PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE. I AM FILING A COMPLAINT IN THE HOPES THAT TOYOTA TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ISSUE. IN A CRASH I DO NOT KNOW HOW WELL THE DEFECTIVE BODY PANELS WILL HOLD UP AND PROTECT THE PEOPLE IN THE CAR. *TR

DUE TO THE STEEP VERTICAL ANGLE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND THE PLACEMENT OF THE DEFROSTER VENT SEVERAL INCHES BACK FROM THE WINDSHIELD, THE WINDSHIELD CANNOT BE KEPT CLEAR BY THE DEFROSTER. THE AIRSTREAM FROM THE DEFROSTER DOES NOT HIT THE LOWER 1/3 OF THE WINDSHIELD AND THE LEFT HAND DRIVER SIDE AND NO AMOUNT OF AIR EVEN AT MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WILL KEEP THE WINDSHIELD FROM ICING OVER. THE WIPER BLADES BECOME ENCRUSTED WITH ICE AND FAIL TO KEEP THE WINDSHIELD CLEARED. IN EVEN A MODEST SNOWSTORM, VISIBILITY QUICKLY DROPS TO NEARLY ZERO. MY WIFE NEARLY WRECKED THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. IN ADDITION, DUE TO THE LARGE THERMAL GRADIENT ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD CAUSED BY THIS ISSUE, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKS IN A HORIZONTAL LINE EXTENDING ACROSS NEARLY THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD AT THE LOCATION OF THE DEFROSTER AIRSTREAM CONTACT. THIS PHENOMENON HAS HAPPENED 2 TIMES! I HAVE TALKED TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY ARE IN COMPLETE DENIAL ABOUT THE ISSUE AND CLAIM "EVERYTHING IS WORKING AS DESIGNED". THIS IS A FATAL PROBLEM AS THE VEHICLE CANNOT BE DRIVEN IN A SNOWSTORM AND I WOULD NOT BE THE SLIGHTEST BIT SURPRISED IF THERE HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF IT. USING FMEA (FAILURE MODE EFFECTS ANALYSIS) I WOULD RATE THE PROBABILITY OF THIS FAILURE OCCURRING TO BE A 1 (GUARANTEED TO HAPPEN) AND EFFECTS ARE CATASTROPHIC (LOSS OF OPERABILITY). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION FROM THIRD GEAR INTO FOURTH GEAR DUE TO A CLUTCH MALFUNCTION. AS RESULT, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLUTCH FRACTURED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000.

THE TRANSMISSION ON MY FJ CRUISER IS SHUDDERING. IT FIRST STARTED AT LOW SPEEDS OF 25 MPH, IT NOW DOES IT AT HIGHER RATES OF SPEED (50 MPH). I WAS LED TO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS MY TIRES SINCE THEY ARE 21 INCH TIRES. I BROUGHT IT TO A DEALERSHIP A FEW WEEKS AGO (AUGUST 2014) AND WAS TOLD IT IS THE TRANSMISSION. I THEN DID MY RESEARCH AND HAVE LEARNED THAT NUMEROUS DRIVERS OF THE 2007 FJ CRUISER ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE, AND NOW THAT THE CAR HAS OVER 100,000 MILES ON IT, IT IS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. ONE JUST NEEDS TO GOOGLE "2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER SHUTTERING TRANSMISSION" AND YOU WILL FIND CLOSE TO 60 PAGES OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS VERY SAME ISSUE. PLEASE HELP US. TOYOTA KNOWS THIS IS AN ISSUE AND NEEDS TO STEP UP. THIS FIX IS COSTLY... CLOSE TO $5000.00 TO REBUILD A TRANSMISSION. *TR

THE DRIVER FOOT REST (DEAD PEDAL) ON THIS CAR BRAKES LOOSE EASILY AND BECOMES A LOOSE OBJECT UNDER AND AROUND THE DRIVER FOOT PEDALS. I HAD MIND COME LOOSE WHILE DRIVING AND DIDN'T REALIZE IT UNTIL I ATTEMPED TO STOP MY CAR AND WAS UNABLE TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAUSE THE BROKEN FOOT REST HAD LODGED IT'S SELF UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL AFTER BRAKING LOOSE. I ENDED UP HAVING TO SWERVE AROUND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME ON THE HIGHWAY TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT, BEFORE STOPPING WITH THE E-BRAKE ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON A SURFACE STREET AND FELT A STRANGE BUT AND THEN A DISTINCT THUMP, THUMP,THUMP, SOUND BEGAN EMITTING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, I CONTACTED MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEAL BUT THEY FAILED TO PROVIDE ME WITH ANY HELPFUL INFORMATION REGARDING ANY RECALLS REGARDING THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. SINCE I HAD THE VEHICLE AT A SHOP ALREADY AND IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, I ALLOWED AN OUTSIDE SHOP TO DO THE WORK. 1EA RING AND PINION GEAR SET, 1EA BEARINGS KIT, 1EA SEALS KIT, SYNTHETIC OIL, AND LABOR FOR A TOTAL OF $2002.20 I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE A VEHICLE WITH 41.000 MILES ON WOULD HAVE IT REAR DIFFERENTIAL FAIL IN THE MANNER THAT THIS UNIT FAILED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO APPLY THE BRAKES AND PLACE THE VEHICLE IN PARK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 74,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

DEALER REFUSES TO HONOR RECALL LETTER ISSUED BY TOYOTA CORP. I HAVE BEEN TO DEALER TWICE AND THEY SAY IT DOESN'T APPLY EVEN THOUGH IT DOES. *TR

THIS PROBLEM STARTED WITH MY 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER (6 SPEED MANUAL) WITH ONLY 84K MILES. THERE IS THIS SQUEAKY NOISE COMING UNDER THE VEHICLE AND EVERY TIME I PRESSED THE CLUTCH ABOUT 1-2 INCHES THAT NOISE GOES AWAY. AFTER TAKING THIS TO THE MECHANIC WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE THROW OUT BEARING, AFTER MUCH INVESTIGATION I ALSO FOUND THAT THIS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL TRANSMISSION. AND MORE THAN 65% DRIVER HAVE THIS ISSUE IN THE PAST. I HAVE CONTACTED THE TOYOTA OF NORTH AMERICA HQ AND THEY BLUNTLY REFUSES TO TAKE CARE OF IT, AND ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THIS IS NOT A BIG ISSUE. TOYOTA FORUM OR EVEN A SIMPLE SEARCH FROM THE WEBSITE WILL EXPLAIN THAT HOW MUCH OF A ISSUE IS THIS WITH CONSUMER WHO OWNS THIS TYPE TRANSMISSION. I URGE NHTSA TO ADDRESS TOYOTA TO TAKE CARE OF THIS MAJOR PROBLEM AND RECALL ALL OF THIS FOR CONSUMER NEEDS. THANK YOU. *TR