2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER Complaints

AFTER ACCELERATING FROM LOW SPEEDS THE STEERING SOMETIMES HAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF MOVEMENT LEFT & RIGHT FROM VERY SMALL STEERING INPUTS. RESULTING IN A "DEATH WOBBLE" SORT OF A FEELING. THIS HAPPENED BEFORE AND AFTER A LIFT KIT AND TIRES WERE INSTALLED. *TR

BRAKES FAIL MOMENTARILY AFTER RIDING OVER A BUMPY ROAD. THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE RECALL ON THE TOYOTA PRIUS. *TR

THE 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER HAS A SIMILAR IF NOT THE SAME BRAKING ISSUE AS THE PRIUS. IF THE VEHICLE HITS A BUMP, POTHOLE ETC WHILE ACTIVELY BRAKING THE BRAKES STOP WORKING UNTIL THE BRAKE PEDAL IS COMPLETELY LET OFF AND REAPPLIED. ALMOST CAUSED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS IN MY CASE. *TR

2007 FJ CRUISER: WHEN BRAKING OVER UNEVEN SURFACE THE ABS KICKS IN AND CAUSE MY BRAKES TO GO FROM 100% TO 20%. I HAVE TALKED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND READ COUNTLESS REPORTS ONLINE AND THIS IS A REAL PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SIMILAR ISSUE TO THE ABS PROBLEM WITH THE PRIUS AND IS A SOFTWARE ISSUE WITH THE FJ CRUISERS ABS.

I BOUGHT MY FJ USED IN MARCH WITH ABOUT 26K ON IT. LOVE THIS TRUCK TO DEATH UNTIL THE BRAKE FAILURE SLIDE!!!. I WAS COMING TO A STOP AT A BUSY INTERSECTION, I LIVE IN A BUSY CITY "NEWARK NJ" (I KNOW I KNOW, HOLD BACK THE JOKE/SARCASM JUST FOR A BIT ;-)). ANYWHO, I WAS ONLY DOING ABOUT 25 OR LESS AND ABOUT 5-10 MILES ON A FLAT SURFACE MY CAR STARTED TO SLIDE, I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS OIL ON THE GROUND OR SOMETHING SO DIDN'T PAY IT MUCH MIND. IT WAS A VERY SLOW SLIDE BUT IT STILL SLID A FEW FEET WHERE I HAD TO PUMP THE PEDAL TO STOP. IT DID IT AGAIN WHEN I WAS COMING TO AN OFF RAMP ON RT 22. THIS TIME THE TRUCK SLID SUPER FAR THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PRESSING JUST AS HARD AGAINST MY FOOT AS I PRESSED DOWN TO STOP IT, LUCKILY THERE WERE NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME. SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME!! THIS IS WHEN I FOUND THIS FORUM AND SEARCHED FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I FOUND A FEW POST PRINTED THEM ALL OUT WITH SUGGESTED FIXES AND BROUGHT THEM TO THE DEALER. I SHOWED THE SERVICE TECHS, AND THEY LIKE TOOK A QUICK LOOK AND THROUGH THEM TO THE SIDE. I SAID DON'T YOU WANT TO KEEP THESE. THEY SAID NO WE DON'T NEED THIS STUFF. THEY CHECKED A BUNCH OF STUFF SAID BRAKES AND PADS WERE GOOD, AND SAID THE PROBLEM WAS THE BRAKE FLUID, SO THEY CHANGED IT. ROAD AROUND FOR ABOUT ANOTHER MONTH OR SO AND WITH NO PROBLEMS. UNTIL IT HAPPENED AGAIN THIS TIME WHILE I'M IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON MY WAY TO WORK. AGAIN SLOW PACE BUT I STILL HAD TO DIP AROUND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AND ON TO THE SHOULDER TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME REALLY SUCKS!! ALSO IT HAS HAPPENED TO ME WITH DIFFERENT TIRE PRESSURES. I WON'T LET MY MOM EVER DRIVE OR BORROW MY TRUCK BECAUSE OF THIS. IF THERE IS NO RECALL SOON I WILL RATHER SELL MY TRUCK THEN KILL SOMEONE. :-( *TW

THE BRAKE PEDAL DROPS TO THE FLOOR, AND THE BRAKES STOP WORKING OVER BUMPS WHILE BRAKING. IM ASSUMING THIS IS THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM. BUT IT FEELS VERY DANGEROUS. THE BRAKES COMPLETELY GIVE OUT AND YOU CONTINUE TO ROLL FORWARD WITHOUT STOPPING. ONLY WAY TO MAKE IT GO AWHILE WHEN IT OCCURS IS TO LET YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND RE-APPLY. BUT YOU ARE AT RISK AT REAR ENDING SOMEONE SINCE THE VEHICLE STOPS MANY FEET FARTHER THEN YOUR SUPOSSED TO. THIS ALSO HAPPENED ON MY 2007 TOYOTA TACOMA (WHICH I SOLD) IM ASSUMING IT HAD THE SAME BRAKING SYSTEM AS MY CURRENT TOYOTA. I BELIEVE THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE IS DEFECTIVE. *CN

WHEN APPLYING MY BRAKES ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS MY BRAKES WOULD FAIL TO ENGAGE AND STOP THE CAR. IT OCCURS WHEN I COME TO A STOP UNDER NORMAL BRAKING AND ONE TIRE HITS A BUMP SUCH AS A MAN HOLE COVER. NO MATTER WHAT I DO THE BRAKES DO NOT ENGAGE AND THE CAR CONTINUES TO ROLL FORWARD. ANTI LOCK DOES NOT ENGAGE WHEN THIS OCCURS IT IS AS IF THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEAD. ALSO, THE OPPOSITE EXTREME OCCURRED YESTERDAY WHEN APPLIED MY BRAKES WITH NORMAL PRESSURE AND THE VEHICLE BRAKED VERY QUICKLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY HARD. EVERYTHING FLEW FORWARD IN THE VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THESE TWO ISSUES ARE COMMON TO TOYOTA FJ CRUISER OWNERS AND ARE DANGEROUS LIFE SAFETY ISSUES. *TR

1. THE 'UNRESPONSIVE' ISSUE - THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN WHEN BRAKING AT LOW SPEEDS (UNDER 40MPH) AND ONE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE HITS A POTHOLE, UNEVEN PAVEMENT, OR LOOSE GRAVEL. THE RESULT IS THAT THE BRAKES BECOME MOMENTARILY UNRESPONSIVE UNTIL YOU RELEASE AND PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL AGAIN. IT DEFINITELY FEELS LIKE THE BRAKE ELECTRONICS/SOFTWARE ARE CONFUSED AND GET CAUGHT IN A MOMENTARY GLITCH AS IT FIGURES OUT WHAT TO DO. 2. THE 'OVERRESPONSIVE' ISSUE - THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN UNDER VERY SIMILAR CONDITIONS TO THE OTHER ISSUE - I.E., LOW SPEED BRAKING OVER UNEVEN OR BROKEN PAVEMENT. THE RESULT IS THAT THE BRAKES BECOME SUPER SENSITIVE TO THE POINT THAT NORMAL BRAKING FLINGS YOU AND YOUR PASSENGERS HARD INTO TO YOUR SEATBELT RESTRAINTS, AS IF YOU ARE SLAMMING ON YOUR BRAKES. THE BRAKE PEDAL GETS A LITTLE MUSHY AND THEN WHAM... THE BRAKES KICK IN BIG TIME. I AM PRETTY SURE THAT THIS CONDITION IS CREATED BY THE BRAKE ASSIST FUNCTION. *TR

I OWN A 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. MY BRAKES DO EXACTLY WHAT IS DESCRIBED WITH THE 2010 PRIUS. ON UNEVEN ROAD SURFACES AND ON SHARP CURVES, THE BRAKES PERIODICALLY AND MOMENTARILY FAIL. BUT A QUICK PUMP ON THE BRAKES WITH THE FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR USUALLY RESTORES THEM INSTANTLY. I HAVE HAD THE BRAKES CHECKED AND SO FAR IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT THEY ARE IN GOOD SHAPE. THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED IS STATED HEREIN UNDER THE HEADING "APPROXIMATE INCIDENT DATE:". *TR

I DRIVE A 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER AND HAVE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH BRAKING ON AT LEAST THREE OCCASIONS. I HAVE HEARD FROM MANY OTHER FJ CRUISER DRIVERS WHO HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM: WHEN DRIVING AT RELATIVELY LOW SPEEDS (BELOW 40 MPH) AND ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE, SUCH AS AT A STOPLIGHT, THE BRAKES WILL LOCK UP CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CONTINUE TO ROLL FORWARD EVEN WHILE THE BRAKE IS BEING PRESSED. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE ABS KICKS IN AS YOU CAN FEEL THE "SCRAPING" FEELING THROUGH THE PEDAL. FROM ALL OTHER ACCOUNTS AND BASED ON MINE, IT SEEMS THE COMMON FACTOR IS ROLLING OVER UNEVEN TERRAIN WHILE BRAKING, SUCH AS A POTHOLE, MANHOLE COVER, OR JUST BUMPY ASPHALT. SO FAR I WAS FORTUNATE NOT TO HAVE ANOTHER CAR DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME. HOWEVER, I CAM DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO ROLLING THROUGH A RED LIGHT WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED A COLLISION WITH THE TRAFFIC WHICH HAD THE GREEN LIGHT. THERE ARE AT LEAST DOZENS OF THESE SAME REPORTS WHICH I'VE READ ON JUST ONE FJ CRUISER OWNER FORUM. ALL ARE CONSISTENT WITH BRAKING OVER UNEVEN TERRAIN WHICH RESULTS IN THE VEHICLE CONTINUING TO ROLL FORWARD. *TR