Body problems of the 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser

Chassis frame rotted.

Premature frame rust.

After buying my vehicle I have began to notice a growing rust problem that is not due to salt water or other environmental conditions, but clearly a defect in manufacturing. After joining a few facebook groups with other fj owners I’ve found countless other people have had the same problem and that without massive trust removal my vehicle is expected to have failures in the frame and suspension at some point.

The frame of my truck has started to rust out as to many Fj Cruisers. It's been a known issue that these frame have this problem along with the Toyota tacoma and Toyota tundra. Which Toyota have a recall on those two models but they've yet to recognize the Toyota Fj Cruiser for the same issue. If this issue isn't resolved, it can result in weak points in the chassis making those area fail and cause an accident underload. I have had my shop look at it and said they can only treat the affected areas so much but the issue will keep coming back over time as rust does not go away unless its cut out. For the safety for myself, any fj owners as well as the roads we share with the public I hope that we get this issue corrected through the manufacturer. Thank you.

While inspecting a broken rear fuel tank strap, several holes were noticed in the frame of the vehicle. Excessive corrosion was present all along the welds on the frame and its crossmembers. There were spots where I could poke my finger through the frame. There was no warning that this corrosion was happening. I am the third owner of this fj and it was inspected before I purchased it. The vehicle has not yet been taken to a dealership, police or an insurance company.

Severe rust on all parts of the frame �undercarriage�, brake lines, gas tank straps. This issue has been widely reported by fj owners and nothing done by the manufacturer. Truck was never driven through salt water nor is it stored by the water front. I am frightened that in an accident the whole body of the truck will just come off the frame.

2008 Toyota Fj Cruiser frame rotting from inside and out. All suspension components have been replaced due parts failing because of corrosion that bled over from the frame to include both front steering knuckles, two parts that only ever get replaced in the event of an accident. Several frame supports have corroded from the inside out and are flaking off. Brake components that run along the frame have corroded from the frame to the bracket that holds them to the lines themselves. Cause a slow brake leak over time that eventually resulted in a dangerous near accident situation that was caused by complete immediate lack of brake pressure. Evasive driving and a sound mind avoided a legitimate accident, had to tow the truck to a shop. Unsafe to drive. Frame will not hold up in an accident. 12 year old frame should not be anywhere near this condition. Due to oversights at the manufacturer this frame is now corroding from the inside out.

The frame and suspension pieces on my fj have rusted due to poor coatings and materials used by Toyota.

Vehicle was stationary in driveway my frame, some suspension components, and my rocker panels were falling apart in my hands.

Excessive rust on the fuel tank straps and vehicle frame. Underbody of this vehicle couldn't have been manufactured to u. S corrosion standards since I've not seen any american vehicles with this widespread rust issue.

Frame, suspension, and brakes have extreme damage from rust. Rear brakes are non-functional because of rust.

We bought our Fj Cruiser new in 2008. I have meticulously maintained (with sevice records from Toyota dealership), and I ha e always kept it meticulous inside and out. The vehicle is a 2008 with 100k miles and looks brand new up top. . . However the undercarriage is a completely different story. No matter how often I cleaned the frame, suspension, and drivetrain I could not keep the rust at bay, now I'm extremely concerned about my families safety. I'm worried brackets are about to rust off, and body mounts and bolts are showing severe rust, this is unacceptable. I have never seen a cars undercarriage rust so quickly and completely in all my life. This needs to be remedied before people start getting hurt while driving with these with these unsafe chassis and components. And my gas tank straps are rotting fast. I have owned Toyota's my whole life. I currently own 5 different land cruisers. We loved our fj and bought it because we thought it would last.

Gas tank support straps failed while driving. Dealer installed temporary nylon ratchet straps until parts arrived.

Both inner front fenders are cracked. I don't know how this happened, the vehicle has never been involved in any sort of accident.

A vehicle was travelling very slowly on a rural interstate as my Toyota Fj Cruiser approached in the same lane. The driver of the Fj Cruiser braked quickly to avoid hitting the slow moving vehicle. However, an 18-wheeler behind it could not stop fast enough. It rear-ended my Fj Cruiser sending the front-end colliding directly into the back of the slow moving vehicle. As the 18-wheeler continued forward, my Fj Cruiser was squeezed out from between the two vehicles and pushed into another lane. Both the driver and passenger of my Fj Cruiser were transported to the hospital for injuries. No airbags deployed at any time during the collision with the slow moving vehicle. Extensive damage to the front and rear of my vehicle resulted in a total loss.

There is buckling of the body, right and left side, under hood approximately where the hood hinges attach to body. The mechanic has advised it is a weak point in the body which on some vehicles the body actually cracks and transfers over to the fender over time. It looks like it is due to vibration from the body front end to the rear firewall. The estimated cost to fix this problem from a Toyota certified body shop is $11,837. 02. I have filed a complaint with Toyota corporate, and it is pending. Toyota doesn't seem to want to take responsibility.

Extreme rust and cracking in frame.

The vehicle developed a bulge on the driver side engine bay fender apron. I have seen many online and met others in person who share this problem on the Fj Cruisers. This concerns me because I feel that the structural integrity of the vehicle is now compromised and don't know how this will affect the safety of my vehicle in the event of a crash.

Drivers side inner fender crumple zone has bulges protruding into the engine compartment.

2008 Toyota Fj Cruiser, inner fender apron bulges in crumple zone's. This vehicle is used as a daily driver and has been off road for approximately 30 of the 19744 miles that are currently on it. My vehicle is very well maintained and not abused. This is a very common problem with the Fj Cruiser model, so much as Toyota has redesigned this part of the body structure 3 times. I feel strongly that this defect will endanger the safety of my self and children should I be involved in a front end collision. Pleas do your do diligence and investigate this issue. Toyota generally will do nothing about this issue and will blame it on abuse or misuse.

2008 Fj Cruiser, 4800 miles, manual trans, no modifications, passenger side fender inner is collapsing (cracks in the steel fender inner and gross deformation of the sheet metal) within the engine bay in area of crumple zone creases/gussets. My concern is that the crash worthiness of the vehicle has been decreased. Additionally there is a major hood alignment issue . Hood alignment problems can be directly related to hood latch failures which could cause injury to both the vehicle occupant as well as pose a hazard to others on the road. The dealer was not able to diagnose the fender crack or hood alignment problems and provide a countermeasure/repair and claims that they have not previously seen these failures.

Bulging inner fender , Fj Cruiser 08.

Inner fender panel buckling above wheel well, on passenger side. Happened under normal driving conditions. Crack on outside fender also. Buckle leads to large 3-5 inch crack, affect hood closure and secureness of hood.

Fj cruiser front inner fender is bulging out into the engine compartment. It appears the front body (hood + fenders) is constructed with too thin a gauge of steel causing excessive front body panel flexing and it's giving out at the weakest point. I have not done anything at this point to correct it as I just noticed it and I'm now monitoring its progression. I am concerned that the bulging will progress into the sheet metal ripping as it has done on other Fj Cruisers thus reducing the effectiveness of the engineered crumple zone. This is my daily driver and I transport my children (currently 3 and 5 yrs. ) on a daily basis. Should I be concerned?.

2008 Toyota Fj Cruiser is experiencing inner fender bulging. This started occurring shortly after buying the vehicle. The vehicle currently has 4800 miles. This problem has been well documented and in most cases does not stop until the inner fender is cracked all the way through. Obviously, there is some sort of design flaw.

I own a 2008 Toyota Fj Cruiser and have driven both on and off road since February of 2008. I have noticed a popping sound when opening the passenger side door, when the dealership went to look at why this was happening they discovered that the inner fender apron in the engine bay was buckled and torn in the crumple zone even though I have never struck anything with my vehicle, not the ground, not another car, nothing. The rips run from the top of the crumple zone to approximately one half inch from the bottom, the top of the tear is folding forward so that the tear has resulted in an opening in the shape of a v, I assume this shift is what is causing the door impingement against the quarterpanel.

I have complained to Toyota about the rust form the start of ownership, there response was that the frames were made in America. Does matter where it was made just the super poor quality of the metal. I believe this is the same frame as the tundra's and they are all recalled why not the Fj Cruisers?.

Over the life of the vehicle, cracks have developed in the front inner fender structure, which have now turned into large splits in the crumple zones. The cause is a result of body movement between the frame and body. Toyota has denied warranty coverage due to large tires installed on vehicle, yet has redesigned the inner fender structure of these vehicles three times due to this same issue with stock vehicles. As the tears in the fender structure progress, the front clip of the vehicle has begun to drift, and the hood gap and fender gaps are shifting. I am concerned with the safety of the vehicle and how collision standards will be affected with the crumple zones cracked.