general problems of the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser - part 1

Frame is rusted to the point of failure.

My Fj Cruiser has terrible rust on the frame. It literally looks like it was stored in the ocean for 50 years. This vehicle is from 2007 and should not have this much rust.

The Fj Cruiser is a common issue for rot/ rust on the frame of the vehicle, I have clean the frame often during the winter months and my frame is continuously rusting and rotting the frame of the vehicle I have decided to not drive the vehicle till the frame is either replaced or repaired due to the safety concern of driving it on the road, numerous others have same incidents of the holes in the frame due to rust the manufacturer did not put any kind of corrosion treatment on the frame to stop this from happening the frame flexes when accelerating and is not safe for anyone to including my passengers or other people on the road.

Frame and undercarriage have excessive wear for age of vehicle despite normal maintenance and care. Rust and corrosion has made the vehicle unsafe to drive.

Our 2007 Fj Cruiser when brought in for annual inspection has been deemed unsafe for use due to crack in frame due to corrosion. The vehicle has no other mechanical issues and runs as if new. We invested in 5 new tires and now find ourselves possibly having to purchase a new vehicle. We witnessed all the other Toyota vehicles frames being replaced due to the recall regarding insufficient undercoating and excessive rust. We inquired if our vehicle was included and if there was reason for concern and were told no. We also own a 2010 prius which we purchased new. We had no reason to question the validity of the answer. Years later we are grateful we did not experience any incident and crack was discovered before one happened. We now want to know why we did not get a replacement as did all the other models.

The frame and associated components are severly corroded putting the vehicle in danger of the back axel detaching . I was informed of this by a repair shop who were concerned of the safety of operating vehicle. There is some type of coverage for related vehicles but not for this model. I think this is the same platform which was recalled under a truck model. Toyota refuses any coverage or help for this problem. The vehicle has 70k miles but is unsafe to operate. Photos are available. Although the top of the vehicle is what you would expect with 70k miles, it is unsafe to operate because the back axel could fall off at any time.

Backing out of my driveway we heard a slight pop and a dragging feel on the right passengers front. ( thought I ran over a landscape brick) stopped and inspected nothing was under the vehicle starting to leave my complex vehicle started to shake some. When I got up to 20 mph it was obvious I should not drive. Called tow truck. Thought I needed ball joints or something similar. Mechanic said frame was completely rusted out and unfixable. The Toyota Fj Cruiser is suppose to be a tough off road SUV which I never used for off road driving they even advertised how tough the frame is in commercials . I see there has been recalls for other Toyota models of SUV and trucks of the same year and their is a class action lawsuit already started I think in California. If I would have continued to the freeway a serious accident would had happened. I contacted Toyota and opened a case # 221011002195 which after two communications they closed because there is no recall on the vehicle. The car is in great condition other wise. A frame should last more than 15 years on a truck \SUV designed for off road driving . Her are some details of the pending lawsuit: plaintiffs allege that a manufacturing defect causes excessive rust and corrosion to the frames of 2007-2014 Fj Cruiser vehicles. The suit claims the defect weakens the structure of the vehicle, therefore posing a serious safety threat to vehicle occupants. In some cases, vehicles failed to pass safety inspection and are no longer safe to drive. As a result, owners find themselves stuck with a vehicle that is no longer legally allowed on the roads with a greatly diminished resale value. Toyota activity marketed the Fj Cruiser with special “electrocoat deposition” rust protection coating despite Toyota’s marketing highlighting the “electrocoat deposition” protective coating, plaintiff’s claim Fj Cruiser frames prematurely rust and corrode at an accelerated rate. The suit states Toyota had been aware of the frame defect, but fail.

Frame rust has become a major safety issue even though we do rust prevention twice a year.

Massive amounts of rust underneath the car on the frame and pretty much everything is affected around it. Concerned for my families safety…Toyota needs to address this immediately!!!.

Frame is rusting out.

I purchased the vehicle with a clean carfax on 12/2/2021 flew from phoenix to dallas to pick it up. Drove the vehicle from dallas to phoenix. The brakes malfunctioned on the drive home. Fortunately it was late at night and not many vehicles on the road. Took car to mechanic on 12/4/2021. The frame, brakes, suspension, exhaust and engine mounts had been sprayed over to cover severe rust and rot of the the frame and undercarriage. The vehicle cost 14k the repairs to be done 20k the vehicle is not roadworthy and has not been driven since ai got back to phoenix. The dealership purposely didn’t disclose the frame or brake damage. The dealership sold this vehicle knowing it was for my daughter and 3 year old granddaughter.

Undercarriage of vehicle was not properly rust coated by manufacturer. Undercarriage is so rusted that my mechanic advised it may need a new frame.

Frame rust all over, going to cost tons of money to fix. Rust rotting through the frame of the car. Shouldn’t be a problem dont live near water or salt area.

My recently purchased Toyota Fj Cruiser was found to have severe rust underneath the car . Nuts and bolts have rotted away with the part now held together by rust weld. New straps are holding up a dented gas tank which my mechanic thinks fell when the original straps failed. Is it a safety issue when a gas tank falls off a traveling vehicle? I don’t know what other problems may arise from this, but I have been online and there seems to be complaints of this nature all over the internet. Toyota ordered a recall on several models for this problem, but not the fj. This many people can’t be making this stuff up. At some point it is going to lead to a death, if it hasn’t already . Have only had this vehicle 2 weeks, and I find it hard to believe Toyota can’t address this problem like it did with other models of their fleet. One lady’s pickup bed almost separated from the front of the truck. Please use whatever tools you have to see that Toyota does the right thing, and takes care of the customers who are driving their vehicles.

I was driving down the street after filling up my fuel tank. I drove approximately 1/2 mile when I heard a sound, felt a clunk and stopped immediately. My fuel tank was hanging down on the ground. I called aaa and requested a flatbed and to bring a strap. He did not bring a strap and when my truck arrived at the mechanic the fuel tank had completely separated from the vehicle. The other complaint I have is the rusted frame. I purchased this vehicle used. I did not notice that the tube before the rear axle which holds suspension supports to the frame were completely broken off and separated from the rusted out frame that has failed. It has been welding but the rusted frame is very difficult to weld to.

Excessive rust on frame components from inside frame rails. Failure of suspension mounting points at the rear axel. Failure of the rear cross member and hitch due all due to excess rust.

Rust! frame rust!.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Fj Cruiser. The contact stated while getting an oil change, the contact noticed that rusting to the undercarriage and the sub frame had caused the driver’s side rear axle bracket to fracture. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 156,350.

My vehicles frame/ suspension has deteriorated to the point the Toyota dealer wont pass it for safety inspection. The frame and suspension have disintegrated. This truck has been garage kept since new and is in otherwise perfect condition.

The frame has rusted out based on recent inspection at the Toyota dealership. It poses a safety concern.

I purchased the car from an individual on Dec. 12, 2020. Less than 30 days ago. I brought it to the body shop to see if they could fix the rattling sound that came from when I hit a bump. The cars body is in great condition. The mileage when I bought the car was 183,800. I assumed I may need to do some work on the car, but the body shop told me that the sound I was hearing was different parts of the undercarriage that had rusted so badly that they where close to falling off. Including the gas tank. They told me that Fj Cruisers where known for rusty under bottoms and that I would be a safety risk to myself and others if I drove the car. They also said the car was beyond normal repair. I will attached photos they sent me. I have driven the car 1,500 miles and it is considered undrivable and unfixable. I got a second opinion. Without knowing the results of the first opinion they came to the exact same conclusion. Except they told me to reach out to you.

Severe suspension bracket rust on multiple rear and front components. I luckily was able to avoid an accident when braking but my entire car swayed when the rear lateral support bar bracket broke right off the mount that is welded to the rear due to rust. I then inspected and found multiple rust areas on frame and other suspension brackets. Making this vehicle unsafe to drive. I am aware of Toyota's ongoing dilemma with using this horrible untreated steel and hope the NHTSA addresses this issue. This is not normal corrosion this is an absolute neglect in safety by not having this steel treated on such critical components of a vehicles frame. Had this incident happen on the highway at speeds of 55 mph or greater. Serious injury and/or death can occur. If I am not the only consumer having this issue on Toyota fj crusier vehicles. I hope the NHTSA enforces a recal on these frames and/or critical suspension components. My vehicle is 16 years old, I purchased it from a dealer whom recieved it from the original owner with 57,000 miles on it. Now currently after 4 years of owning this Fj Cruiser I only have 71,000 miles on it. Had this bracket caught onto my brake lines which is located directly below this rear bracket I would have lost all ability to stop my vehicle.

My son was driving home from school when he heard a rattle/bang when he took a corner or went over a bump. He told me about the noise as soon as he got home. We took the fj out for a drive and I heard the noise coming from the driver's side. Upon inspecting the exterior drivers side I found that the left side, rear trailing arm mounting point and a section of the fj's frame, had torn away from the frame. The trailing arms was not floating, unattached. We are very luck that the trailing did not drop while my son was driving home, as it would have been driven into the pavement, possibly causing a catastrophic accident. I have called Toyota corporate, who can provide not solution on how to repair this issue. Again, I am lucky my son was on secondary roads and not the highway and the trailing arm fell to the pavement.

Gas tank straps broke frame deteriated on fj crusier with only 72000 miles on it would have never known how unsafe frame is if straps gas tank hanging.

My 2007 Fj Cruiser has major problems with rust. This includes being informed today that the frame has holes that have rusted through and the vehicle would not pass inspection. I have already put a lot of money into the vehicle replacing rusted parts including replacing the fuel tank straps last year, parts of the suspension and radiator. This seems excessive damage due to rust and creates an unsafe Toyota product.

Premature frame and suspension rust. I worry about the safety of the vehicle with hidden rust possibly causing a catastrophic failure.

I am the third owner of a 2007 Toyota Fj Cruiser, this vehicle has major rust overtaking the frame and all suspension parts and mounts, even the inside of the frame is rusting out. This seems to be a regular issue. I am very concerned I am going to have suspension parts break off while I'm driving, I have already had to replace the fuel tank straps that rusted in half while driving doen the highway.

I am one of the original purchasers of a 2007 Fj Cruiser in August of 2006. I ordered my vehicle in July 2006. I received a scale model of my fj with seriel number below 500, which I was told indicated that I was one of the first 500 purchasers of the new model I had read on the newly established fjcruiserforums. Com that the new frames where arriving with rust on the welds. When my vehicle arrived I pointed out rust on the frame just from shipping and told the dealer that I needed the frame undercoated. I also showed the dealer the Fj Cruiser forum posts they complied. I have used this vehicle for work for many years. I have taken it in almost weekly for an undercarriage wash if I was using it weekly. Most all of my miles are highway. The rust has not abated. I have wire brushed the frame multiple times, sprayed it with rust preventive paint, squirted oil inside the frame. It still has not stopped the rust. Now I finally have a hole in the frame. It is not in a critical area but I cannot tell if there are areas that it may also be weak. Toyota has admitted to frame issue on the tacoma and Toyota sequoia. Are they not addressing this because there are fewer of the fj's on the road? this frame should be replaced. It was defective when it was sold.

My vehicle is getting pretty rusty, even with proper maintenance and cleaning. The frame and suspension components pretty soon are going to become unsafe. I'm not going to be able to drive the truck anymore, the value is still pretty high, it just have 118. 000 miles.

Frame and suspension components are very rusty to the point of a safety concern. I replaced the rear bumper with an aftermarket one to discover the rear bumper support was so rusted it wouldn't be of any help in the event of being rear ended by another car. Also, the rear bumper comes stock with 2 sensors so when backing up will let you know when you get close to something. Both sensors were non-transferable to the new bumper because they were so rusted on the inside when you tried to remove them they crumbled into bits, a combination of metal and plastic. The rust worked its way up the wires as well. Numerous brackets underneath the truck which hold what appears to be electrical components the vehicle would need to operate. If one of these components broke and needed to be replaced I would need to buy new brackets along with the new component - new screws would also be required along side a holy prayer that the old screws don't snap off while attempting to remove them. By the time I was done paying off my vehicle and having more free income to put towards other priorities I was consistently delayed with repaires the vehicle needed to keep functioning. I had to pay for new transmission lines because the ones on there were so rusted, in a lump sum I was not prepared for. Power steering lines were replaced once and the power steering still has an issue holding fluid. I am going to chose today's date as the date this occurred because now I am at my wit's end with the rust. I took my truck to have the a/c recharged to be told its going to be about $2000 to replace all the lines and the condenser that is rusted plus labor. While on the lift the mechanic told me to come take a look underneath my truck and he showed me how extensive the rust has become and that I might need to have some work done about the rust first before he can fix the a/c.

Had a virina safety inspection performed on 6-25-2020 and it was found the frame is completely rused out. The vehicle cannot be driven due to safety reasons. 2007 Toyota Fj Cruiser with 101000 miles. No accident or injury but vehicle is not operable due to structural faiiure could happen at any time.

While driving around 45 mph the fj became loose and low in the rear. At the same time all the abs and traction control light came on. While looking for the problem we found that the lateral traction bar mounts welded to the axle had rotted and collapsed severing the abs wire. The upper part of the axle was no longer connected to the vehicle. Toyota does not offer a replacement part other than a complete axle.

The frame on my 2007 Fj Cruiser is in bad shape. Multiple areas of bad exfoliation corrosion, flaking off in large chunks nearly every part of the frame. Body is in perfect condition but the frame is terrible.

Have owned the vehicle for over 4 years and rust on frame has gotten progressively worst. Vehicle has become unsafe to drive due to rear suspension likely to collapse due to holes in frame. Dangerous to drive and if vehicle where to be in an accident the whole structure could collapse. Very unhappy with Toyota experience.

The frame has major rust , scaling, holes and falling apart making the vehicle unsafe, I bought the car in to be repaired and was told the frame is rotting from the inside out , that it should not be driven till frame is replaced or repaired.