2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER Complaints

ONCE VEHICLE IS CRUISING ON HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 55-70MPH, STEERING WHEEL SHAKES UNCONTROLLABLY. HAVE HAD THE TIRES SWAPPED, ROTATED AND BALANCED AT DIFFERENT BUSINESS AND STILL HAVE SAME ISSUE. DEALERSHIP SAYS EVERYTHING IS FINE. DID A TEST DRIVE WITH THEM AND IT SHOOK AND STILL SAID EVERYTHING WAS FINE. *TR

THE FJ CRUISER I PURCHASED IN 2007 WAS QUITE RELIABLE UNTIL RECENTLY AND IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFECT WITH THE MACHINED DIFFERENTIAL IN EARLY BUILDS OF THIS MODEL. TOYOTA WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECTIVE DIFFERENTIAL FOR SOME REASON ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 1000 CASES SO FAR POSTED ON THE INTERNET SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE CARBON BRITTLELY IN THE DIFFERENTIALS THAT ARE FAILING. I HAVE INCLUDED A FEW REFERENCES BELOW: HTTP://WWW.FJCRUISERFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/PROBLEMS-DEALER-SERVICE/35767-BROKEN-REAR-DIFF-BUILD-DATE-PLEASE.HTML HTTP://WWW.FJCRUISERFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/TRANSMISSIONS-TRANSFER-CASES-TRACTION-AIDS/126060-REAR-DIFF-PROBLEM-07-A.HTML HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/2007/TOYOTA/FJ_CRUISER/ I TOOK MY CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER OF MARIN AND THEY ARE NOW TRYING TO CHARGE ME $2200 FOR A NEW DIFFERENTIAL, I AM REFUSING TO PAY AND I SPOKE TO TOYOTA, THEY ARE DENYING THERE IS A PROBLEM. HERE IS MY TOYOTA CASE NUMBER, [XXX] PLEASE HELP RESOLVE THIS SERIOUS ISSUE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

HEARD NOISE COMING FROM BACK OF CAR. SOUNDED LIKE IT COULD BE THE BRAKES. TOOK IT TO TOYOTA, WAS TOLD IT WAS THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. MY HUSBAND IS A QUADRIPLEGIC AND WE HAVE A LIFT ON THE BACK OF OUR CAR. NEED IT FOR HIS SCOOTER. CAR ONLY HAD A LITTLE OVER 80,000 MILES ON IT. HAVE ALWAYS BOUGHT TOYOTA... NO ONE WILL HELP. WON'T EVEN MEET ME HALF WAY. NOT THE DEALER, NOT THE PEOPLE I WROTE TO AT TOYOTA, NO ONE. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. I HAVE EVEN GONE ONLINE AND FOUND MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT. WILL ANYONE LISTEN? IT IS IN THE SHOP RIGHT NOW AND WE ARE HAVING IT REPAIRED FOR JUST OVER $1,600 DOLLARS. *JS

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, I RECENTLY BOUGHT OUT THE LEASE OF MY 20007 FJ CRUISER FROM THE HOLLYWOOD TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. I'M WRITING TO NOTIFY YOU THAT I AM EXTREMELY UNHAPPY WITH MY SERVICE AND THAT I FEEL UNSAFE IN MY TOYOTA VEHICLE. I RECENTLY HAD TO HAVE MY FJ CRUISER TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE MY FRONT WHEEL NEARLY FELL OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING. WHEN I INSPECTED THE TIRE IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE WHEEL STUDS HAD BROKEN CLEAN OFF THE BODY. THE TIRE WAS BARELY HANGING ON BY A THREAD. I'D LIKE TO NOTE THAT UPON PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, I PAID A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF EXTRA MONEY TO HAVE IT "CERTIFIED" BY THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT. IT HAS BEEN SERVICED AT THE DEALERSHIP SINCE THE CERTIFICATION AND IT HAS ONLY EVER BEEN WORKED ON BY TOYOTA DEALER SERVICE TECHNICIANS. I NEVER HEARD ABOUT ANY ISSUES WITH WHEELS OR ABOUT WHEEL DEFECTS OR RECALLS. AFTER THE WHEEL INCIDENT, THE HOLLYWOOD TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT NOTIFIED ME THAT THE WHEEL STUDS WERE DEFECTIVE AND HAD FAILED. I HAVE NEVER BEEN NOTIFIED BY TOYOTA ABOUT THIS POSSIBLE ISSUE IN MY MODEL CAR. I BELIEVE THAT IF THERE IS A KNOWN DEFECT IN A PRODUCT THAT ALL TOYOTA OWNERS SHOULD BE NOTIFIED ABOUT IT. AFTER ONLY THE HUB WITH OBVIOUSLY BROKEN STUDS WAS REPLACED THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE THAT MORE WHEEL STUDS WOULDN'T BREAK OFF MY OTHER WHEELS. IF I CANNOT BE GUARANTEED BY TOYOTA THAT THE WHEELS WILL STAY ON MY CAR WHILE I DRIVE IT THEN I HAVE TO SAY THAT I HAVE LOST ALL CONFIDENCE IN THE BRAND AND WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER PRODUCT FROM BOTH TOYOTA OR THIS DEALERSHIP EVER AGAIN. I ALSO ASKED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO NOTIFY THE SALES MANAGER THAT SOLD ME THE VEHICLE SO THEY COULD FOLLOW UP WITH ME TO REASSURE ME ABOUT THE REPAIRS. THIS REQUEST WAS IGNORED. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

AT 55 MPH, I APPLIED MY BRAKES AND RATHER THAN STOPPING THE VEHICLE, THE BRAKE PAD WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. BY PUMPING THE BRAKES REPEATEDLY AND SLOWING TO A POINT I COULD APPLY THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. HAD I NEEDED TO STOP QUICKLY, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO. THE MASTER CYLINDER FAILED CAUSING THE BRAKING ISSUE. I HAD THE COMPONENT REPLACED AND HAVE HAD NO BRAKING ISSUES SINCE. THE MASTER CYLINDER HAS BEEN RECALLED ON 740,000 TOYOTA VEHICLES, BUT NOT THE FJ CRUISER. ISSUES WITH BRAKING/MASTER CYLINDER HAVE BEEN REPORTING ON WWW.NHTSA.GOV FOR THE 2007 FJ CRUISER, SO THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE. I HAVE REQUESTED THAT TOYOTA OPEN AN INVESTIGATION FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT THEY HAVE NOT. *TR

THE INNER FENDER WELL APRON CRUSH ZONES ARE BUCKLING, CRACKING AND RIPPING UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS - IT APPEARS THE FRAME HAS TOO MUCH FLEX AND IS CAUSING THE WEAK SPOT IN THE INNER FENDER WELL TO BREAK. CONCERNED THAT BECAUSE THIS IS A SAFETY RELATED AREA OF THE BODY THAT THIS ISSUE MIGHT IMPACT THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE VEHICLE IN AN ACCIDENT, OR EVEN UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER, AND A TOYOTA FIELD ENGINEER EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, INCLUDING TAKING NUMEROUS PICTURES. NO REPAIRS WERE OFFERED AT THAT TIME, AS THEY WERE UNSURE OF THE CAUSE OR REMEDY. *TR

WHILE SLOWING FOR A RED LIGHT, I SLID ON A SMALL PATCH OF ICE. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE ABS SYSTEM RELEASED MY BRAKES. I LIFTED MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE ABS DISENGAGED. I REAPPLIED THE BRAKES AND STOPPED THE VEHICLE. *TR

I BELIEVE THAT SEAT BELTS ARE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURES ON A CAR AND SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF A CAR. I AM VERY SURPRISED THAT THE SEAT BELTS ON THIS CAR STARTED TO SHOW A FAILING TREND AT ALMOST 40000 MILES. BOTH PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDES ARE FAILING, RETRACTING AND LOCKING-UP ISSUES. PASSENGER SIDE COMPLETELY FAILED YESTERDAY, IT IS LOCKED UP. COST TO FIX IS VERY EXPENSIVE. .MANY FJ OWNERS ARE REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM, I ENCOURAGE THOSE WITH THE SAME ISSUE TO FILE A COMPLAINT RATHER THAN POSTING IT ON FJ CRUISER FORUM. IT SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE AND TOYOTA SHOULD ASSUME SUCH A RESPONSIBILITY FOR FIXING AN IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE. *TR

PURCHASED CERTIFIED USED TOYOTA AND NEVER TRIED TO USE REAR SEAT BELTS. WHEN WE TRIED TO USE SEAT BELTS ALL THE REAR SEAT BELTS WERE NOT WORKING" WOULD NOT LATCH". *TR

THE INNER FENDER WALL LINERS ARE SPLITTING ON EACH SIDE. THE FJ HAS ON 69K MILES. WE ONLY FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WHEN WE TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEAL FOR NOISES WE HEARD UNDER THE HOOD. TOYOTA REFUSES REPAIRING THE PROBLEM COMPLETELY. *TR