2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER Complaints

THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE INNER FENDER OF THE TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. MY TRUCK HAS 34K MILES AND I HAVE NOTICED A LARGE BULGE IN THE DRIVERS SIDE INNER FENDER, IN THE CRUMPLE ZONE. THE PASSENGER SIDE IS ALSO SLIGHTLY BULGED. I HAVE SEEN IN OTHER FJ CRUISERS HOW THESE BULGES WILL SLOWLY CRACK AND CAUSE THE FENDER TO TEAR. AS THIS PROBLEM DEVELOPS IN A DESIGNED CRUMPLE ZONE, I AM CONCERNED THAT TOYOTA DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE A SOLUTION, OR EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. *TR

I AM CONCERNED ABOUT CRACKS DEVELOPING IN MY TOYOTA FJ CRUISER WHICH COULD AFFECT THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND OTHERS IN VEHICLE. *TR

A HAIRLINE FRACTURE BEGAN GROWING FROM A CENTRAL MID-POINT AT THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES AS I WAS DRIVING. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO ROAD DEBRIS THAT HIT MY WINDSHIELD THAT MADE THIS OCCUR, NOR HAVE I EVER TAKEN THE VEHICLE OFF-ROADING. FROM THE CENTRAL POINT THE CRACK GREW OVER THE COURSE OF 10 SECONDS IN BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT DIRECTIONS UNTIL ENDING AT THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES OF THE WINDSHIELD. I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS WOULD HAPPEN. I BELONG TO AN FJ CRUISER ENTHUSIAST WEBSITE FJCRUISERFORUMS.COM AND 33% OF 2007 OWNERS REPORT HAVING HAD/HAVE A CRACKED WINDSHIELD. NOW THAT I AM PART OF THAT GROWING PERCENTAGE, I'M NOT HAPPY THAT THERE IS NO TECHNICAL BULLETIN BY TOYOTA ABOUT THIS. NHTSA, YOU NEED TO GET INVOLVED. MANY OWNERS ALSO REPORT THE PROBLEM HAPPENING AGAIN SOON AFTER GETTING THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED. WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN TO GET A RECALL DONE HERE? A VEHICLE BUILT FOR RUGGED OFF-ROADING SHOULD BE ABLE TO NOT HAVE A PAPER-THIN WINDSHIELD AND NOT CRACK FOR ANY APPARENT REASON WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS NOT COSMETIC DAMAGE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO HAVE A RECALL ISSUE BEFORE SOME POOR SOUL GOES SAILING THROUGH THEIR WINDSHIELD BECAUSE IT HAS A DESIGN FLAW. *TR

WHILE DOING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE I NOTICED CRACKS IN BOTH INNER FENDER WELLS OF MY 1 YEAR OLD TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. I THEN STARTING DOING RESEARCH AND FOUND MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALER AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT AND AT THE TIME THEY SAID THAT IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY WHEN A FIX OR REPAIR WAS AVAILABLE. SEVERAL MONTHS WENT BY WITHOUT A RESPONSE AND DURING THAT TIME I HAD INSTALLED NEW TIRES AND SUSPENSION. I THEN HAD SOME MORE SERVICE AT ANOTHER DEALER SEVERAL MONTHS LATER AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE FENDERS WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND ANY ALTERATIONS FROM STOCK WOULD VOID ALL WARRANTY. THIS WAS NOTED WELL BEFORE ANY MODIFICATIONS AND I DON'T SEE WHERE DIFFERENT TIRES, BUMPERS, OR SUSPENSION WOULD HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH FENDERS. THE REPAIR WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT OF THE INNER FENDER WELLS. MANY OTHER PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE AS NOTED ON HTTP://WWW.FJCRUISERFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/TOYOTA-FJ-CRUISER-POLLS/37556-DO-YOU-HAVE-INNER-FENDER-BULGES-CRACKING.HTML AND HTTP://WWW.FJCRUISERFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/PROBLEMS-DEALER-SERVICE/33440-ENGINE-BAY-BODY-RIPS.HTML THIS REPAIR HAS BEEN DONE ON SEVERAL FJ CRUISERS THAT I AM AWARE OF AND THE CRACKS COULD BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE AS THEY ARE IN THE CRUMPLE ZONE AREA. *TR

I HAVE A 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. I HAVE THE TRUCK LIFTED WITH A DEALERSHIP APPROVED LIFT KIT, AND DEALERSHIP APPROVED TIRES. I HAVE ABOUT 50K MILES ON IT, AND I JUST NOTICED THE INNER FENDER INSIDE THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE BEGAN TO BULGE OUT TOWARDS THE ENGINE. I TOOK IT INTO TOYOTA AND THEY ONE SALES REP SAYS I MUST OF HAD AN ACCIDENT TO CAUSE THIS, I HAVE NOT! ANOTHER REP SAYS HE HAS HEARD OF THIS ISSUE BUT HAS NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE. THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE AN ENGINEER COME AND TAKE A LOOK AT IT. I HAVE DONE MY OWN RESEARCH AND HAVE FOUND THAT TOYOTA HAS SINCE REDESIGNED THIS SECTION NOW 3 TIMES BUT ARE STILL CLAIMING IT TO BE USER FAULT. I HAVE 127 OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE NOW CLAIMED THIS ISSUE MANY OF WHICH HAVE STOCK VEHICLES AND HAVE NEVER BEEN OFF ROAD OR HAD THE SUSPENSION OR TIRES MAX OUT. THIS BULGE LEADS TO CRACKS RIGHT IN THE CRUMPLE ZONE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. WHICH COULD SERIOUSLY AFFECT HOW THE VEHICLE REACTS TO AN ACCIDENT AND CAUSE FURTHER HARM TO ITS OCCUPANTS. *TR

I HAVE BULGING AND CRACKING ON MY INNER FENDER APRONS ON MY TRUCK, THEY HAVE BEEN PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE. WHEN THEY STARTED I HAD ZERO MODIFICATIONS AND HAD ONLY DRIVEN ON MILD DIRT ROADS. AND SOME SAND. TOYOTA HAS SINCE DENIED ME REPAIR BECAUSE OF SOME MODIFICATIONS I HAVE INSTALLED. TOYOTA ALSO IS ON THE 3RD FENDER DESIGN SO THEY OBVIOUSLY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM BUT THEY WANT TO BLAME THE OWNERS FOR IT. *TR

THE PROBLEM IS THE INNER FENDER IN MY 2007 FJ. IT HAS BULGES AND WILL EVENTUALLY CRACK. OTHER OWNERS HAVE HAD IT CRACKED, SO I AM WAITING TO SEE HOW LONG THAT TAKES TO HAPPEN. I HAVEN'T TAKEN IT IN TO GET FIXED YET, BUT TOYOTA IS CLAIMING THAT IT'S NOT A DESIGN ISSUE. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS A NUMEROUS OTHER OWNERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER FENDER BULGES AND CRACKING ON MY VEHICLE WITHOUT MODIFICATION ON THE VEHICLE. FENDER CRACKING/BULGES WAS NOT ALSO DUE TO EXCESSIVE OR EVEN OFF-ROADING, JUMPING OR OTHER VEHICLE ACTIVITIES. *TR

I OWN A 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. IT IS A MULTI-PURPOSE 4X4 VEHICLE. I USE IT OFF-ROAD OCCASIONALLY. THERE ARE RIPS ASSOCIATED WITH METAL FATIGUE IN THE INNER FENDER APRONS AT APPROXIMATELY 18,000 MILES. I HAVE SOME SLIGHT MOVEMENT IS THE FENDERS AND WIDE SEAMS OF THE HOOD. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO A DEALERSHIP, HOWEVER THEY WILL NOT REPAIR IT BECAUSE THERE IN NO KNOW FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER IN SEPTEMBER 2007. THE FIRST WEEK I HAD THE VEHICLE I WAS TRAVELING THROUGH TOWN AT 45MPH WHEN A VERY SMALL ROCK STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD CAUSING A HOLE IN THE WINDSHIELD. THE NEXT DAY THE HOLD SPLINTERED ACROSS THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE WINDSHIELD. I HAVE NOW OWNED THE VEHICLE FOR ONE YEAR AND I HAVE ONE DOZEN ROCK CHIPS IN THE WINDSHIELD. MY DRIVING HABITS ARE ORDINARY CITY DRIVING. EACH OF THE CHIPS WAS CAUSED BY VERY SMALL ROCKS AT SLOW SPEEDS. MOST INSTANTLY SPLINTER OUT FROM THE ORIGINAL CHIP. THE MATERIAL OR DESIGN OF THE WINDSHIELD IS CLEARLY SUBSTANDARD. THE REPLACEMENT COST IS OUTRAGEOUS. *TR