If q80fj, with the New Revised Inner Fender Panels, is having the same bulging and tearing issues that we have had, than there is a high chance MudLoving, Cruiser Larry, and Myself will have the New Revised Crumple Zone Inner Fender Panel Skirts bulge and tear again.
My Service Director confirmed that the parts used to repair our vehicles are the same "Revised Crumple Zone" Inner Fender Panels that are on the Late 07' Model FJs and the 08 FJ's. Namely, the same part that is bulging and tearing on q80fj's truck.
The Inner Fender Panel Skirt replacement, some of us have received, is most likely not a solution to the problem. If the revised crumple zones are tearing as well for q80fj, it is highly possible that the root cause has not been addressed.
Furthermore, IF the New Inner Fender Panel Skirts are further reinforced, will damage from the Body Flex Stresses manifest themselves further along the crumple areas of our vehicles?
If you look at the Collision Repair Manual, you will see the stresses from an accident travel through the engine bay and up through the A-Pillars around the windshield, and then up through the roof. Will we soon see, or fail to see, damage spreading ot these areas?
wjorg, even though the revised panels are not the end-all solution to the problem. The odds that you will have the bulging/cracking issue occur are far less than if you just stayed with the original panel.
If you look at the scope of this issue there is a rather small number of vehicles effected.
However, you do have a point in the root cause not being identified. So if this root cause is still present after the panel replacement, I suppose it is likely that it could happen again.
wjorg, even though the revised panels are not the end-all solution to the problem. The odds that you will have the bulging/cracking issue occur are far less than if you just stayed with the original panel.
If you look at the scope of this issue there is a rather small number of vehicles effected.
However, you do have a point in the root cause not being identified. So if this root cause is still present after the panel replacement, I suppose it is likely that it could happen again.
Deezus,
If both q80fj, who has bulges in the revised panels, and Relic Hunter, who has bulging in the panels they used to replaced his earlier damaged panels, I am fairly confident that more regular FJ's and "Re-paired" FJ's are going to continue to experience this problem. It isn't like we all have slightly different versions of the same problem, we all have them same symptoms in the same location. The more and more I ask FJ's I see on the street to open their hood, the more I see bulging panels. These are people who have never been off-road. q80fj is experiencing these issues in the revised panels with only 9100 Miles! It took me 25,000 miles to see the problem.
Hey guys it looks like Valky is trying to come up with a solution for our problem. He posted on mud in the thread that I started over there with the same title. He also said that Toyota is working on a solution as well. Good news for us all.
Deezus,
If both q80fj, who has bulges in the revised panels, and Relic Hunter, who has bulging in the panels they used to replaced his earlier damaged panels, I am fairly confident that more regular FJ's and "Re-paired" FJ's are going to continue to experience this problem. It isn't like we all have slightly different versions of the same problem, we all have them same symptoms in the same location. The more and more I ask FJ's I see on the street to open their hood, the more I see bulging panels. These are people who have never been off-road. q80fj is experiencing these issues in the revised panels with only 9100 Miles! It took me 25,000 miles to see the problem.
Understood, and I agree.
Just curious, how many of the FJ's you are checking out appear to have this problem?
Just curious, how many of the FJ's you are checking out appear to have this problem?
3 of 4 I have stopped on the street or in a parking lot so far had the issue, minor bulging. 2 of the 3 with the problem had never taken the vehicle off road. They were all the old crumple zone design. The owners thanked me for letting them know, as they had no idea of the problem. 1 FJ had about 14,000 Miles on it, and the other two were in their 20's somewhere.
Not to sound too harsh, but if every one of you who has read this thread and has the deformation/fracture has NOT reported it to the NTSB, shame on you.
In the spirit of the FJ Comraderie that is so often touted on this forum, you owe it to other owners to use every available resourse to get light shinedon/pressure applied to this situation.
You have very limited methods of applying leverage against a big company like this. This company is not run by kindly avuncular good ol' boys. It is run by people who count beans. Competent engineers and many great things about Toyota of course, but at the corporate level they are not your buddies. And they are the ones who direct how this gets handled. Enlist the aid of the feds in your crusade to get the source AND the symptom fixed. The fact that this happens in a crumple zone makes it a safety issue.
If this defect manifest on my truck, I will certainly do my best to prevent others down the road from going through it by using all means available to pressure Toyota. The NTSB link is in the thread.
3 of 4 I have stopped on the street or in a parking lot so far had the issue, minor bulging. 2 of the 3 with the problem had never taken the vehicle off road. They were all the old crumple zone design. The owners thanked me for letting them know, as they had no idea of the problem. 1 FJ had about 14,000 Miles on it, and the other two were in their 20's somewhere.
Hey guys it looks like Valky is trying to come up with a solution for our problem. He posted on mud in the thread that I started over there with the same title. He also said that Toyota is working on a solution as well. Good news for us all.
If you look at the scope of this issue there is a rather small number of vehicles effected.
I think it's way more than what we're seeing here...how many soccer moms and mall crawlers are checking for cracking body panels??? Not many I would assume...
Bernd
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