There is no way I will buy an FJ now, after reading this thread. And I was so set to get one. My wife and I test drove one and I had some great internet quotes. It was just a matter of deciding on a color and then negotiating the trade-in. But this defect really worries me. As a previous poster commented, this could really affect resale value and that is part of the reason I was excited about getting a Toyota.
It's going to be so hard each time I see an FJ on the road. Hopefully they'll fix it on the '09s and I'll just have to wait. Man, and I was willing to overlook the visibility issues, doors trapping you in a parking lot, no sunroof...it's just such a cool truck, but the wife would kill me if I got it now
The sky is falling! Give me a break already!
I read this forum prior to purchase of our FJ. If the crumple zones decide to prematurely bow out, then I'll deal with it. Sh*t happens. We knew what were going getting into but life is too short.
Do I wish Toyota had a valid solution? Yes, I do but I am not going to worry about it because it is their job not mine. I bought the truck to enjoy, have fun and lastly, we wanted it. If you are still hooked on the FJ and want the 'fix', you are going to continue to wait because IIRC, the redesign is coming around 2012.
Is anybody going to stand up on this major factory defect. I'm contacting a lemon lawyer here in portland oregon. Feel free to contact me with pics and your current model and miles on rig and if you want to get in on this. Doug.
Is anybody going to stand up on this major factory defect. I'm contacting a lemon lawyer here in portland oregon. Feel free to contact me with pics and your current model and miles on rig and if you want to get in on this. Doug.
So,
You contacted an attorney because you don't have bulges?
I believe we'd all prefer that they engineer a fix to a "free oil change" (or similar) coupon as a class settlement.
Yeh, let's sue Toyota so that we all get a check for $.23 and in return, they decide to discontinue the model and not bother to try to fix it. Great idea. Sorry but I don't think this would even be considered under the lemon law. It's not a mechanical issue and probably not even a safety issue. Although I would like to see how the bulges effect the results of a crash. I think instead, Toyota needs to be shown the effect it will have on current and future sales, not only of this model, but of their brand in general. As we can see from some of the responses here, non FJ owners are already noticing and making up their minds. This WILL have an effect on their bottom line, which is what will make them take action. Not a law suit.
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'07 Voodoo Blue~ 3" RevTech lift, 17" Ultra Goliath wheels w/ 295/70/17 Toyo Open Country MTs, Chopped Body mounts (by Metal Tech), Garvin Wilderness rock rails, HiLift, shovel, and axe roof rack mounts, Bud Built skids, A-Trac hack, 3 additional 12V outlets, including one in the driver's side glove box for my Garmin RINO 530hcx so the wires don't hang across my dash and two more in the center console, Cobra 75 in center console, Scan gauge II, relocated rear breathers,
Built 08/06
15k miles.
I can feel little bump on my driver side. It was hard to tell until I touched it. Seems other side is still okay. I will have to check this more often. I checked it couple month ago and it was okay.
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VOODOO BLUE 4X4 AT
UR#2, CQ, GY, 3T, P7, DH, RB,CF, 9S, 3Z, 2Q
Reading this forum did not stop ME from buying a used (04/06 build,15K miles) FJ. Someone may call me stupid, but I just love the truck and bought it to enjoy. I obviously made sure that no signs of the problem existed on the trucks that I was considering for purchase. I looked at four different trucks (9K-24K miles) and none of them showed any signs.
Anyway, I have an idea (if it hasn't been discussed yet) that I want to throw out here for discussion. If you search for "FJ Cruiser" on Wikipedia, you will find a description of our truck. It also states that some of the early models have body rip problems (or something like that). I think this is a good sign; the word is getting out there. So what do you guys think about approaching a car magazine and writing an article about this issue. It is a very good way to voice our concerns and get TMC moving faster (who wants bad publicity? if they don't pay attention to this forum, they will pay attention to a magazine article!). It'll have to be a famous magazine, though (car&driver comes to mind, any others?) and we are going to need someone with connections...
So, what do you think? Anybody wants to take a lead? There will be plenty of people here to sign off/support the article...
at 101 pages I'm looking for it but searching fender brace didn't bring anything up.
Fender Brace solution?
this is something Nissan's and Subaru's use to stiffen the chassis but could go a long way towards prevention. there are about 4 companies making these for S chassis Nissan's('89-'01 180sx 200sx 240sx and silvia) alone and its more popular with the Subaru guys.
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'07 FJC Ti silver 4x2 on steelies, spidertrax spacers and 4x4 springs
'91 240sx (modded to hell and back drift whore)
Linear Mode
