Body Problems of Toyota FJ Cruiser - part 1

Please consider opening or expanding an investigation into frame, underbody, brake-line, and suspension-mount corrosion affecting Toyota Fj Cruisers. I own a 2013 Toyota Fj Cruiser 4wd. A professional inspection found multiple fluid leaks, heavy rust, rusted exhaust, leaking rear shocks, and brake line/hose concerns. After reviewing the condition, the mechanic essentially declined to repair it and recommended scrapping the vehicle. The attached photos show conditions that appear safety-relevant: rust perforation through underbody structural metal near a bracket/crossmember area; severe corrosion around brake lines and fittings; widespread scaling near suspension and frame components; a leaking rear shock; and badly deteriorated exhaust connections. This is not just appearance rust. Also note the contrast between the observable condition of the vehicle versus the problems hidden beneath. This rust is clearly outpacing normal wear and tear. The safety risk is straightforward. At interstate speeds, a corroded brake line could fail during emergency braking. A weakened shock mount, suspension bracket, or crossmember could fail when the vehicle hits a pothole, uneven bridge plate, or highway debris. In dense, aggressive traffic, especially where vehicles travel 70+ mph, any sudden loss of braking, stability, or rear-end structural integrity could cause a spinout, rollover, or multi-vehicle crash. I understand Toyota has previously addressed severe corrosion on other truck platforms. I urge NHTSA to review whether the Fj Cruiser has a similar pattern of premature or excessive structural corrosion. Owners may not know the vehicle is unsafe until a mechanic refuses repair or a component fails. Please review consumer complaints, inspection photos, and corrosion-related failures before this becomes a fatal incident.

See all problems of the 2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser 🔎.

Chassis frame rotted.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser 🔎.

Premature frame rust.

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.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser 🔎.

-Toyota recalled the vehicles using the same/similar frame has the same rusty issues, like tacoma. This recalled made me pay attention on this issue and I found the my Fj Cruiser is no longer 100% safe while driving. -the frame of the body is very rusty after years which is not normal. I believe most owners of this model having the same issue. There are rust everywhere under the body, when change some parts, it was really hard to do so, need the fire gun to burn all the screws. And the exhaust system all rusty and leaked as well, cost me a lot of money to fix. -the frame may broken anytime while driving which is risky to me and my passengers. -no dealers would like to fix that frame for me unless to pay a huge amount of labour costs, which is higher than the value of the car. -it has been inspected by more than 5 car specialists and body shop workers, saying that frame is dying and won’t last for long, maybe will completely broken in a few years. -there is no issues on mechanics, just the under body rust. It happened a lot of years maybe 5-7 years before. -I’m from canada.

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.

Excessive frame rust causing safety issue with suspension and crash danger. Yes my vehicle is available for inspection. My safety as well as other drivers safety are put at risk if the suspension fails causing my vehicle to veer into on-coming traffic. The problem is on going and can be confirmed by a dealer or independent service. My vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, but is available for inspection upon request. No warnings lamps. This is an undercarriage issue that is hidden by the tires and the body that sits on the frame.

See all problems of the 2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser 🔎.

Extensive rust in frame.

Frame rust prematurely affecting integrity of the rear lower control arm mounts. Back half of frame almost completely rusted through requiring a full frame replacement.

The frame has rusted so badly it no longer is road safe and the frame needs to be replaced. Large hole in frame on front passenger side, and bad rusting all over. Mechanics said this is a known issue with fj and tacoma frames , and in my case the only solution is to replace the frame, which will cost (with associated work) $22k.

See all problems of the 2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser 🔎.

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.

I was planning on trading in my Fj Cruiser, so I took it to our local mechanic to look it over. After he put it on the lift, he showed me that the frame and gas tank straps were rusted out and that it wasn't safe to drive. I took it to another body repair shop and after putting it up on the lift, he said he has never seen a frame so rusted out in his twenty five years of doing body work. I contacted Toyota and they said they would not repair the frame.

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

Toyota used interior metal to make the frame and it has rusted to the point the whole frame needs to replaced.

Frame corrosion and complete frame failure. The area compromised affected the steering of the vehicle. Luckily, the failure was discovered before failure at highway speeds . No warning of any kind prior to failure. The vehicle is currently at a Toyota dealership awaiting a complete frame replacement . Should the failure have occurred at highway speed, this would have been a catastrophic event as the front end/ steering would have been dramatically affected.

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!!!.

I purchased this vehicle used in April 2022. It was not driven much until June 2022 because the car was purchased for our son, who attends school at the us air force academy in colorado springs. The goal was to get him a car before his 3 week summer break and he and his sister and his best friend would drive it out to colorado for him to use throughout his last two years. Their trip began on June 16, 2022, leaving central ohio. We started getting texts from our daughter about loud noises the car was making while she was sitting in the back seat. Then we started getting texts from our son about noises by the rear tire. We had him check the tires for proper inflation or for any damage. None was reported. My daughter complained about the handling of the vehicle when she was driving. Saying it was not easy to control when going 70 through the plains of the us. They were very pleased to arrive in one piece out in colorado. My son started to think it was a suspension issue because of the way it handled going over bumpy roads. He took it to a dealer and the dealer took video of the frame, and the black goo used to try and cover the holes and cracks in the frame. $21,000 was their estimate to put a brand new frame on the vehicle. This is a known defect with this vehicle. We should not have to pay for such poor manufacturing.

Rear body mount rotted, frame very rusted and thin, could pose issue with structure. All the times bringing to dealer, nothing was mentioned regarding how bad the frame was.

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.

While working on car notice extreme rust and broken frame welds.

Heavy rust continues to occur and rot frame from seemingly within the frame. Terrible build quality. I have spent thousands keeping this car alive. Plenty of 07-era cars on the road with not this much rust and I clean my car!.

The SUV frame rails are prematurely rusted completely through from within the frame rails at a minimum of four know locations while other areas of the frame still appears solid (a further deeper inspection will be performed and repairs will be made after documenting the rust failures). We were at risk of the frame rail failing completely under load due to the size/length of rusted our areas which measure up to 12-inches or so, which would lead to loss of control of the vehicle while driving. The vehicle is home in my driveway for repairs of the clutch system (after failure on the roadway at 65mph) when rusted areas were observed April 2022. The dealer performed a recall for an unrelated part on the vehicle in April 2020 along with performing an oil change, however the dealer did not report an issue to me at that time.

Major frame issues due to poor quality steel.

Noticed rust on SUV/frame confirmed by faulkner Toyota dealership, mechanic informed too address this problem soon.

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser 🔎.

Possible structural frame rust. Just like every other Fj Cruiser Toyota has built. I’m making this complaint in hopes that the NHTSA will force Toyota to recall Fj Cruiser frames due to the amount of Fj Cruisers that have the same frame rust issue.

The frame has alot of rust on metal and on welds affraid of frame failing and coming apart.

Excessive underbody and frame rust.

Frame rust. Gas tank strap rust. Undercarriage rusted.

Owner of a 2010 Fj Cruiser. The amount of corrosion on the frame and components is very high for the age of the vehicle, it leads to significant safety concerns (including gas tank straps are corroded). Toyota should rectify this issue as it seems like they did a poor job on this model to isolate against rust the frame. There should be a recall for a re-treatment of the frame (just like they did on the tundra and tacoma models).

Severely rusted & rotting frame. Diagnosed by mike’s automotive, sturgeon bay, WI.

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

Fj cruiser in tennessee was filling up gas tank and heard a noise under the car. I looked and noticed that the back of the gas tank was hanging down. After I got it home, I discovered that the rear fuel strap had broken due to rust. The front fuel strap was also extremely rusted and probably would have failed also.

Frame ha rusted to the point of failure after only 14 years.

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.

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.