Owners have filed 764 complaints on the Toyota FJ Cruiser, covering 2007–2014. The system named most often is Structure (229 reports). Worst years by volume: 2007, 2008, 2010; cleanest: 2009, 2011, 2013. 25 reports describe a crash, 5 a fire. On average the car was 7.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Toyota FJ Cruiser
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 764 FJ Cruiser complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Structure 229 Read
The frame has alot of rust on metal and on welds affraid of frame failing and coming apart
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…
The contact owns a 2014 toyota fj cruiser. The contact stated while the vehicle was at a stand still, the rear tailgate door was unable to open. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired as of yet. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The failure mileage was 35,000
Suspension 98 Read
The left rear tire blew out, I didn't hit anything prior, and I tried to control the vehicle and bring it to a stop. I got it to be about 40 mph before I hit the cement railing on the bridge. Please call [xxx] at [xxx] claim number pa[xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5…
Purchased vehicle driving the vehicle had slight problem with steering then we noticed the car was on a slant. Two to three inch difference from left bumped to ground and the right bumper. Brought to a dealer two times and still an inch difference. I then measured two othe fj cruisers in their lot and noticed it is on…
Frame is rusting really bad. Toyota already replace the trd coil springs on each side due to rust
Service Brakes 85 Read
I was involved in an accident yesterday, thursday, 18feb10, at around 3:40 p.m. On the intersection of westheimer and beltway 8. I drive a 2007 toyota fj cruiser. There are 2 lights before I have to turn left on the beltway to head towards I-10. I stopped at the first light on the red light behind several cars as…
I was on a highway at 70 miles per hour(speed limit of that part of highway). I started to try to decelerate to exit the highway with braking, the brakes failed to engaged, depressed brake harder and the ABS started to engaged briefly then stopped. I started to pump the brakes and they finally engaged. I almost…
We have had a complete brake failure in the vehicle two times since we have owned it. The first time I was driving the vehicle in 15-20 mph stop and go traffic. I attempted to brake and the pedal felt like a brick and would not move. I quickly removed my foot off the pedal and attempted to depress the pedal again. It…
Visibility 55 Read
I purchased this vehicle in dec of 06 and one month into having this car and driving on my normal routes that I realize that this car has zero visibility. No windows in the back that allow you to switch lanes safely or even back up from a parking lot or area safely. I just recently had an accident as well. I already…
The contact owns a 2011 toyota fj cruiser. While parked, the contact noticed excessive corrosion throughout the undercarriage of the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was awaiting a response from the manufacturer. During cold weather, the contact also noticed that the rear view…
1-cruise control over-speeding. It was observed that the cruise control system exceed the set vehicle speed in these three conditions 1a.one the cruise control resumes speed after deceleration. 1b.whilst the vehicle negotiate uphill driving condition 1c. If there is a strong head wind. This will keep the driver…
Steering 45 Read
Whenever the vehicle is in 4 wheel drive it is unsafe on slippery weather conditions. Difficult to control 3 times I've used this car on icy conditions going no more than 35 or 40 miles an hour and I have slipped the most recent time was easter and the car literally rolled out of control
I purchased a new fj cruiser & put 5,039 on it & then installed aftermarket wheels & tires. After 2 weeks the vehicle developed a shimmy in the steering at 48 to 65 m.p.h.. I had the tires balanced 4 times & the tire shop also replaced the wheels with no success at eliminating the shimmy. I reinstalled the factory…
When the car is driven over 55mile per hour the steering wheel start to shake and to vibrate violently making the car very unstable and unsafe to drive.took back to the toyota dealer but they were unsuccessful of fixing it. After multiple attempts by the car dealer ,as of today the steering wheel fluttering and…
Power Train 38 Read
We park our car under the unit we live in, the carport under the unit is a concrete slab ,we pulled up under the unit turn the car off and proceeded upstairs and hearing a loud noise we went back down stairs and the car had rolled off the concrete slab down to the canal we live on and over the dock and into the water.…
Vehicle was traveling in the snow in 4 wheel drive mode when it started shaking and vibrating as if it had a flat tire. Because of the road conditions vehicle was traveling under the speed limit. Failure was catastrophic and did not allowed the vehicle to coast too long as the vehicle jammed, as if the transmission…
Read differential has failed. Years affected are 2007-2009. In 2010 toyota issued an updated stronger version of the differential. When differential fails it can lock up both wheels at high speeds thus losing control. There are over 2000 complaints online and over 10000 complaints with toyota alone. It is not only…
Seat Belts 38 Read
The contact owns a 2014 toyota fj cruiser. The contact stated that the front occupant classification system failed. When a passenger was seated in the front passenger seat, the front passenger air bag was off and the front passenger seat belt warning indicator illuminated that the seat belt was off. The vehicle was…
Set belt broken
The passenger side seat belt retractor is malfunctioning. There was a recall of 209,000 of my exact make and model (years 2007-2013) with the exact same problem. Toyota claims my VIN is not on their list for recalls and wants $416.18 to fix the seatbelt retractor. It seems absurd that they won't take responsibility…
Vehicle Speed Control 19 Read
My toyota fj cruiser accelerates by itself. Typically, when it is stopped and idling, like at a light or stop sign. It does this when either I or my mother is driving it. The particular event I want to tell you about happened in august 2009. I was at a stoplight, in the center lane, and was going to change lanes when…
The contact owns a 2010 toyota fj cruiser. Whenever the contact attempts to accelerate while the vehicle is already in motion the vehicle will suddenly begin to hesitate and the engine will begin to make a loud surging sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the vehicle was…
The contact owns a 2010 fj cruiser. While driving at speeds of at least 20 mph and up, the vehicle throttle would stick intermittently. While shifting gears, the vehicle would exhibit an abnormal increase in engine rpms and would hesitate to decelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they could not…
FJ Cruiser years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2012 | Electrical System,structure,engine | — | 1 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 3 | 1 | |
| 2009 | Suspension,power Train,structure | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags,service Brakes | 4 | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 15 | 3 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 113 |
| Average complaints per series | 6.8 |
| Worst single series | 55 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.1 years |
A model average of 6.8 hides a worst series at 55. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the FJ Cruiser?
By complaint volume, 2007, 2008, 2010 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which FJ Cruiser years are the cleanest?
2009, 2011, 2013 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Toyota FJ Cruiser have?
764 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2007–2014. Of those, 25 describe a crash and 5 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.