I'd Like to Tell Toyota...This is for constructive suggestions to be made to Toyota regarding the FJ Cruiser. This is a flame free forum and heavily moderated.
Seriously man if you're that unhappy with the truck, take advantage of the FJs' excellent resale value and get rid of it.
. Gee, maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought the thread starter is "suggestions to be made to Toyota regarding the FJ Cruiser". Regarding that end: the design of the T.O. bearing assembly is not good. Again, a steel bearing riding on a non replaceable aluminum pilot shaft is not good.
.
Quote:
BlackCherryota previously said:
Forums magnify small-scale problems like this 1,000,000x
.
So, for every 1,000,000 FJ's sold with a stick, only 1 will experience this ? Really ?
Look at the pics of the pilot shaft and T.O. bearing and tell me what you think.
I think you misinterpreted what I was trying to say there.
I totally agree with you 100% that the issue needs to be fixed. All I'm saying is, Toyota has been at least partially unwilling to work FJ owners on this problem and the fender bugles, so if the mere existence of these problems is causing you mental anguish now, why not just sell the truck?
What I said about the forum(s) magnifying the actual issue wasn't intended to be an actual statistical figure. I think it would be pretty difficult to quantify the actual "magnification" of a vehicle issue by discussion forums, so I threw that number out there. My point is that when a few hundred members of a forum experience the SAME exact problem, and it is discussed by a few thousand people, there tends to be some magnification of the issue where those calling for an apology or recall or an engineer to commit suicide are really just experiencing a run of the mill phenomenon that happens all the time in the car industry. Personally I'm not surprised at all that Toyota is taking this long to come up with a solution for the problem. They are a f&%$!#g HUGE company, and we are asking them to have the response of a small R&D firm. That they responded to the fender tear issue by redesigning the part two times already is a sign that they do care, regardless of how insensitive some of their American representatives have been to us.
I think we can all agree that this is not a "prime time" in Toyota's history of building quality, reliable vehicles. But clearly that has not stopped anyone from buying a FJ. So we all just need to make the decision as to whether or not it's the right vehicle to own at this point in time.
Just trying to be real man, sorry if that came off as an attack on you
Quote:
71roadrunner previously said:
. Gee, maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought the thread starter is "suggestions to be made to Toyota regarding the FJ Cruiser". Regarding that end: the design of the T.O. bearing assembly is not good. Again, a steel bearing riding on a non replaceable aluminum pilot shaft is not good.
.
.
So, for every 1,000,000 FJ's sold with a stick, only 1 will experience this ? Really ?
Look at the pics of the pilot shaft and T.O. bearing and tell me what you think.
.
__________________
--------------------------------------------
'07 Black Cherry, every option
Stubbs Welding FJ Sliders
9" ProComp lights on bumper
The engineers didnt design the FJ to do the things that some of us do with them. Can it hit the trails and wheel all day long? yes, but it wasnt designed to. It was designed with the idea that 90%+ would never leave the road. This is why so many of us find we need to upgrade when stock parts just wont cut it. Many of the problems (not all) that we experience comes from pushing the vehicle to the limits offroad.
that's exactly how i feel, even more so since my 60 series made it 250,000 miles without a serious FUBAR.
Sorry to hear about your problems, especially the interior plastic, thats one I haven't heard about before. The sad part is Toyota Customer Services response, there is no excuse for that type of response from what is labeled the "Customer Service Department".
Quote:
DoWork previously said:
No problems or complaints here
Same hear, I've been very happy with mine. And Consumer Reports just listed it as the most reliable mid-size SUV. While I take Consumer Report's opinion with a grain of salt, this is a relative comparison of reported defects which means a little more.
Quote:
71roadrunner previously said:
.
Eventually you will. There is no getting around the fact that the design is rotten. A steel bearing assembly riding on a (non replaceable) aluminum pilot shaft is a bad design. Sooner or later it will puke. Period.
Well of course "sooner or later" it will puke, but what does that mean? Mine has 129,000 miles on it in 38 months and I haven't had any problems. This includes a lot of off-road mileage.
I think you misinterpreted what I was trying to say there.
I totally agree with you 100% that the issue needs to be fixed. All I'm saying is, Toyota has been at least partially unwilling to work FJ owners on this problem and the fender bugles, so if the mere existence of these problems is causing you mental anguish now, why not just sell the truck?
.
No mental anguish, just the feeling to make noise regarding something that's not right. Believe me, if people don't squawk, nothing will happen.
And I bought the truck, so I will stick with it. I am already designing my own pilot shaft and throwout bearing replacement in the event I get stiffed by Toyo. I have restored antique cars and tractors as a hobby for over 35 years and have a small shop, so this is not an impossible task.
.
Quote:
BlackCherryota previously said:
Personally I'm not surprised at all that Toyota is taking this long to come up with a solution for the problem. They are a f&%$!#g HUGE company, and we are asking them to have the response of a small R&D firm.
.
Actually, I am surprised there isn't a fix yet. This T.O. bearing issue has been going on world wide in a number of Toyo lines (Tacoma, Prado, etc.) for a few years now. In anything with the 6 speed manual like the FJ has.
.
Quote:
BlackCherryota previously said:
I think we can all agree that this is not a "prime time" in Toyota's history of building quality, reliable vehicles. But clearly that has not stopped anyone from buying a FJ.
.
Agreed. But...... the least Toyo could do on this is to issue a TSB so the poor customer doesn't have such a hard time getting their rightful repair.
.
Quote:
BlackCherryota previously said:
Just trying to be real man, sorry if that came off as an attack on you
.
Never took it as personal. In the same vein my vocalism is directed at a faceless entity, the 'Corporation'. I have a lot of empathy for the customer.
.
Quote:
DoWork previously said:
The engineers didnt design the FJ to do the things that some of us do with them.
.
True, but this T.O. bearing deal seems to occur no matter how the vehicle is driven.
I come off strongly on this issue because I worked as an application engineer in the auto industry for 30+ years. I have lost count on the number of trips we made across the pond to Japan and Korea re: Q.C. issues on various components used in the manufacture of automobiles. I knew at least a dozen engineers at each of FoMoCo, GM, and ChryCo (not to mention several foreign manufacturers) and most of us battled the same issues day in and day out. A very good design would be sent back for a re-design for purposes totally unrelated to the quality of the vehicle. I could tell you stories and you would call me a liar because they sound unbelievable. To the point of a clear danger to the consumer. There would actually be a couple dozen engineers and managers (both Japanese and American) bottled up in a room arguing about not whether the part would fail, rather it would be when and what the manufacturers liability would be in the worst case scenario (death of the customer). I'm not kidding ! One major auto manufacturer actually overrode the objections of the engineering staff and implemented the component change because the wife of the CEO did not want to put up with a particular noise issue that the original component caused in her car ! Never mind that the new component didn't nearly meet the life cycle requirement and the failure would definitely be life threatening. Some of this stuff kept me awake at night. Enough on that subject.
I'm pretty damn sure that Toyota knew the ramifications of dropping production of a bolt in steel T.O. bearing pilot shaft to be replaced by this aluminum non-replaceable pilot shaft. I still think that pending a permanent fix (if they issue one), there should be a TSB.
BTW, here is an excerpt from a letter sent to a Taco owner experiencing the identical problem with his 6 speed:
Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
We apologize for your dissatisfaction with our previous reply. In addition, we apologize for the concern you are experiencing with your Tacoma, and we regret to hear of your dissatisfaction in this matter.
The warranty coverage for the throw-out bearing is three years / 36,000 miles, whichever comes first from the vehicle’s date of first use. Once the vehicle is outside of these warranty guidelines the cost of repairs becomes the owner’s responsibility.
NICE ! So if you hear a noise before 36k miles/3 years, better get yer' behind in gear and visit the dealer.
Well of course "sooner or later" it will puke, but what does that mean? Mine has 129,000 miles on it in 38 months and I haven't had any problems. This includes a lot of off-road mileage.
This is good news. Reputation is why I bought this vehicle. I wonder how many other stories there are like yours ? I wonder if we could get a more detailed poll going ? Something to include D.O.M., miles without a problem, if the problem has occurred more than once, how is the vehicle used, where is the vehicle used, etc..
Can I start a poll myself, or does the site administrator have to set it up ?
This is why I dumped my FJ. I was the first to get one on this forum, i was the first to dump it
The thing has several quality issues. I loved the truck, but when stuff like the rear floor liner starts to bubble, dashboard starts to sag, fenders start to rip, it made me wonder, wtf is gonna happen next?! So I dumped it.
I'll stick to my faithful 02 4Runner. I'm looking at a 02 LX to replace the position of my FJ Cruiser. Was gonna buy a 2010 4Runner untill i seen its interior quality. Blah..
__________________
2010 International ProStar 13spd, 07 FJ-C - Went bye bye, 06 Corolla, 02 4Runner SE, 91 Cressida V8, 89 Cressida 5spd Turbo, 88 Cressida
Linear Mode
