2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER Complaints

I HAVE A 2007 TOYOTA FJ. THE STEERING SEEMS TERRIBLY WEAK AND UNPREDICTABLE. IT DRIVES LIKE A VEHICLE THAT HAS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MILES ON IT, BUT THE STEERING HAS BEEN LIKE THIS SINCE I PURCHASED IT. I'VE HAD THE WHEELS ALIGNED THREE TIMES, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. TOYOTA SAYS THE THERE IS NO ISSUE BUT THAT THE STEERING ON THIS STYLE VEHICLE IS JUST SENSITIVE. WHILE I REALLY ENJOY THE VEHICLE, I'M ALWAYS ON FULL ALERT WHEN DRIVING KNOWING THAT AT ANY GIVEN TIME, THE STEERING MAY SUDDENLY TAKE THE VEHICLE LEFT OR RIGHT WITH NO PREDICTABILITY. I'VE DRIVEN A LARGE NUMBER OF SUVS AND PICKUP TRUCKS. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED A NEWER VEHICLE THAT REQUIRES SO MUCH ATTENTION TO THE STEERING. IT MAY GO LEFT OR RIGHT WHEN THE ROADWAY SURFACE CHANGES, WHEN ENCOUNTERING UNEVEN ROADWAY SURFACES, WHEN TRANSITIONING FROM WET TO DRY OR ICE TO CLEAR PAVEMENT, OR FOR SEEMINGLY NO REASON AT ALL. OFTEN I FIND MYSELF ACTUALLY COUNTER STEERING (INPUTTING OPPOSITE TENSION ON THE WHEEL) TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM GOING LEAVING THE LANE I'M TRAVELING IN. IT IS VERY UNPREDICTABLE WHILE CHANGING LANES. AS I BEGIN A SLOW MOVE TO AN ADJACENT LANE, THE STEERING MAY SUDDENLY JUST PULL ME OVER TO WHICH I THEN HAVE TO COUNTER STEER TO KEEP FROM GOING TOO FAR. *TR

1) PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED TWICE: DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THEN HITTING A POTHOLE AT JUST THE MOMENT BRAKING WAS REQUIRED BECAUSE TRAFFIC AHEAD HAD STOPPED; WHILE MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, THE PEDAL DROPPED TO THE FLOOR WITH NO BRAKING ACTION. ONLY AFTER RELEASING AND PUMPING, DID BRAKING ACTION RETURN. 2) THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE. BOTH TIMES I NARROWLY AVOIDED CAUSING ACCIDENTS -- NOT TO MENTION THE SUDDEN RUSH OF FEAR AND PANIC I EXPERIENCED. 3) NO CORRECTIVE ACTION TAKEN. THE DEALER SAID THEY WERE UNABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM. *TR

S10 APPROPRIATE HANDLING LTR RE STICKING GAS PEDAL IN A TOYOTA VEHICLE. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE GAS PEDAL WOULD MAINLY STICK WHEN HE PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE. THE VEHICLE WOULD CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE ALTHOUGH THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES. *JB UPDATED 04/27/10

2007 TOYOTA CRUISER TRD - TIE ROD BROKE. I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL WAS DIFFICULT. I GOT OUT AND LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE. ONE TIRE WAS POINTED ONE WAY AND ONE THE OTHER. THERE WEREN'T ANY EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE. SHORTLY BEFORE THE TIE ROD BROKE, STEERING FELT AS IF I WAS ON ICE FOR A FEW SHORT MOMENTS. FORTUNATELY, I WASN'T DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE TIE ROD BROKE. VEHICLE WAS UNDRIVEABLE AND TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN EDMONDS, WA. THE TIE ROD WAS REPLACED BY TOYOTA. DEALERSHIP HAD NO INFORMATION AS TO HOW IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. NO REASON WAS GIVEN. CAR WAS 2 WEEKS OUT OF WARRANTY AND DEALERSHIP WASN'T GOING TO COVER THIS SAFETY ISSUE. AFTER APPLYING SOME PRESSURE, THEY DID HANDLE THE PROBLEM. *TR

I DRIVE A 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. I'VE OWNED THE VEHICLE SINCE AUGUST 2006. TWO TIMES SINCE I'VE OWNED THE VEHICLE, IT HAS ACCELERATED UNEXPECTEDLY. EACH TIME, IT HAS TAKEN ME OFF GUARD. ONE TIME I WAS IN A 35 MPH ZONE AND IT GOT UP TO 50 OR 60 MPH. IN BOTH INCIDENTS, I SWITCHED THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV. I WAITED FOR THE ENGINE TO RETURN TO NORMAL BEFORE PUTTING IT BACK INTO DRIVE. BOTH TIMES, I THINK I WAS GOING A SLOW ENOUGH SPEED THAT THE BRAKE HELPED SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN ALSO. I HAVE INSPECTED MY FLOOR MAT AND IT WAS NEVER NEAR THE GAS PEDAL DURING ANY OF THE INCIDENTS. I ASSUMED THAT THESE WERE JUST RARE OCCURRENCES. NOW, AFTER HEARING OTHER TOYOTA OWNERS DESCRIBE SIMILAR ISSUES, I'M WONDERING IF THIS IS RELATED TO A MECHANICAL DEFECT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. OCCASIONALLY WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, HE NOTICED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK TO THE FLOOR CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE. IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY EXTREME BRAKING PRESSURE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALERSHIP AND THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 31000.

AFTER READING THAT THIS DEPARTMENT WAS "OPENING A FORMAL INVESTIGATION OF THE TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID MODEL YEAR 2010 TO LOOK INTO ALLEGATIONS OF MOMENTARY LOSS OF BRAKING CAPABILITY WHILE TRAVELING OVER AN UNEVEN ROAD SURFACE, POTHOLE OR BUMP", I REALIZED THAT THIS EXACTLY DESCRIBES MY EXPERIENCE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WITH MY 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. I DID NOT REPORT THIS TO THE DEALERSHIP. I THOUGHT IT WAS MY FAULT FOR MY SPEED WHEN HITTING THE UNEVEN SURFACE. I DON'T KNOW REALLY WHY I DIDN'T ASK ABOUT THIS BUT THIS DEFINITELY HAPPENED ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. *TR

DRIVING MY 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER V6 4X4 ON A LONG STRETCH OF TWO LANE HIGHWAY IN CLEAR WEATHER CONDITIONS. CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET AT 70 MPH. VEHICLE STARTED SPEEDING UP ON IT'S OWN TO ABOUT 85 MPH. I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL. TURNED OFF CRUISE CONTROL, NOTHING HAPPENED. CAR WAS STILL ACCELERATING. HIT THE BRAKE PEDAL AND NOTHING HAPPENED. CAR WAS STILL ACCELERATING ON IT'S OWN. I WAS GETTING READY TO PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL, OR PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE... WHEN I DECIDED TO HIT THE BRAKE PEDAL HARD WITH BOTH FEET SEVERAL TIMES. CAR FINALLY STARTED SLOWING DOWN. IT WAS LIKE THE VEHICLE HAD A MIND OF IT'S OWN. THIS OCCURRED JUST BEFORE 7/20/09 AND I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO TOYOTA FOR REPAIR WHEN WE RETURNED HOME. THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. HAVEN'T HAD THE ISSUE SINCE, BUT AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR ON LONG STRETCHES OF HIGHWAY. THIS CAR IS NOT CURRENTLY ON THE RECALL LIST. TOYOTA HAD A CERTIFIED MASTER TECHNICIAN RUN A SYSTEM TEST ON ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS IN VEHICLE AND FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH THE CRUISE FUNCTION OR ANY OTHER ELECTRONIC CONTROL COMPONENTS. THIS WAS ON 7/20/07, THAT THEY CONFIRMED ALL SYSTEMS WERE OPERATING AS DESIGNED. I HAD TWO WITNESSES IN THE CAR WITH ME AND THEY SAW WHAT HAPPENED. I WAS LUCKY THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS ON THAT STRETCH OF THE HIGHWAY DURING THAT 15-20 MINUTE TIME FRAME. *TR

THE FIRST INCIDENCE OCCURRED IN DECEMBER 2009. THERE WERE PATCHES OF ICY SNOW ALONG OUR STREET. I WAS APPROACHING A STOP SIGN (THE SPEED LIMIT IS 25 MPH) AND APPLIED THE BRAKES. I APPLIED THE BRAKES SOONER THAN WHAT I WOULD HAVE NORMALLY DUE TO THE ROAD CONDITIONS. AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL MADE CONTACT WITH A PATCH OF ICY SNOW. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, IT WAS AS IF I HAD NOT APPLIED ANY BRAKES AT ALL, AND MY FJ CRUISER CONTINUED THROUGH THE INTERSECTION WHICH ENTERED ONTO A MAIN THOROUGHFARE. THERE WAS NO BRAKING ACTION AND IT WAS AS IF I HAD NEVER PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. I REALLY THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO GO THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AND BE HIT BROADSIDE AND STARTED TO PREPARE FOR AN ACCIDENT. FORTUNATELY, I RELEASED AND REAPPLIED BRAKE PRESSURE, AND MY FJ CRUISER CAME TO A STOP. SINCE THIS WAS THE FIRST BRAKING INCIDENT I PASSED IT OFF DUE TO THE SNOWY CONDITIONS OF THE ROAD. THE SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED AGAIN IN DECEMBER 2009. I WAS ON A STREET THAT WAS UNDER HEAVY CONSTRUCTION AND THERE WAS A LOT OF LOOSE GRAVEL ON THE ROAD. I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 TO 30 MPH. THIS TIME WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES, I EXPERIENCED THE OPPOSITE EFFECT. THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND ACTUALLY SKIDDED TO A STOP AS IF I HAD APPLIED THE BRAKES IN A PANIC SITUATION (LIKE I WAS GOING TO REAR-END THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME). THE THIRD BRAKING INCIDENT HAPPENED IN JANUARY 2010. WHILE DRIVING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD (THE SPEED LIMIT IS 25 MPH), I APPROACHED THE STOP SIGN AND APPLIED THE BRAKES. AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL CONTACTED A PATCH OF ICY SNOW. AGAIN, IT WAS AS IF I HAD NOT APPLIED THE BRAKES AT ALL, AND MY FJ CRUISER CONTINUED THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AS IF I HAD NEVER PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NOT ANY TRAFFIC AS I SLID THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. I RELEASED AND REAPPLIED BRAKE PRESSURE AND MY FJ CRUISER CAME TO A STOP. *TR

2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. I'VE HAD ACCELERATION ISSUES WITH MY TOYOTA FJ CRUISER, AS MENTIONED IN THE CURRENT RECALLED MODELS. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO COME TO A STOP, THE ENGINE REVS AND "ACCELERATES" AT AN UNCONTROLLABLE LEVEL THROWING THE CAR OUT OF CONTROL. THIS HAS HAPPENED A MINIMUM OF 3 TIME ALREADY AND POSSIBLY MORE THAT I WROTE OFF AS OTHER ISSUES. 2 OF THE 3 TIMES I TURNED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT AND OFF THE ROAD WITHOUT HITTING ANYONE OR ANYTHING, APPLYING THE BRAKE UNTIL THE ENGINE SLOWED DOWN AND I COULD COME TO A FULL STOP. I CALLED TOYOTA, (MAY 2009) AND THEY THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A COMPUTER ISSUES AFFECTING ACCELERATION, OF COURSE THIS WAS BEFORE THE WIDESPREAD RECALL. THESE ISSUES WERE NOT DUE TO FLOOR MATS OR STICKY ACCELERATORS. I UNDERSTAND THAT MY CAR, 2007 FJ, IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL, BUT HAS THE SAME ISSUES AS THE RECALLED MODELS. *TR