Got my vehicle back, they replaced both sides along with the front clip. Didn't have to take out the dash like some I have heard of, the job is good minus a couple small issues such as not hooking up the power to my aftermarket stereo, didn't bolt the supercharger relay in the right place and also hooked up my washer tank outlets backwards. The back sprays when the front should and vice versa. All easy fixes. Time will tell how the new inner fenders hold up.
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07 Vodoo Blue M/T 4x4, TRD Super Charger, Donahoe Suspension, Donahoe UCA's, ICON LCA's, Radflo Rear Shocks, ARB Bumper, ARB Snorkle, Budbuilt Skids and HD Sliders, Demello LCA Skids, Warn 9.5 XP Winch, Walker Evens Beadlock Wheels, Dirty Parts Dual Battery System, Donahoe/Light Racing front and rear Jounce Shocks, Pioneer Z-2, Focal k2P's, JL 10"W3's, Alpine 4.150, Alpine 1.600, Cobra CB, Wet Akole Seat Covers, TT Shift Knobs, TRD Short Throw Shifter, BFG KM2's 285 70 R17, IPCW Front and Rear LED's, Fjoel Grab handles, Battery Clamp and FJ120SC, FJCF Badge
hooked up my washer tank outlets backwards. The back sprays when the front should and vice versa. All easy fixes. Time will tell how the new inner fenders hold up.
Thats what they did to mine as well the second time around. First time every thing was done correct. My third gen aprons are still holding up. Good luck with yours.
To add to the data, my 04 4x4 4Runner with a Shrockworks bumper developed a fender bulge about 12 months ago. This is after three years with the bumper installed.
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Mark
04 4Runner SE, 17x9 MT ClassicLocks, 305x17x70 Nitto Terragraps., SW Sliders & Bullbar, Smittybilt 10000lb winch, custom coilovers, 1.5" 4Crawler BL, Kurt Trailing Arms, MagnaFlow, 60" High Lift, Cobra 75WXST CB radio, 4ft Firestick, Yaesu FT-7800 2m/70cm Ham Radio, Comet Dualband Ant., Sat. Radio, Garmin Nuvi GPS, CO2 system, Lightforce 240 Blitz, Surco roofrack, Downey Frt skid
I'm @ 33k and my factory 3yr/36 is up in August. I didn't want to wait for a formal NHTSA recall or something to never come so I went ahead and had the vehicle inspected and the repair work was authorized with hesitation on the regional reps part.
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Guns, Cameras, Cars, and fun...
I'm @ 33k and my factory 3yr/36 is up in August. I didn't want to wait for a formal NHTSA recall or something to never come so I went ahead and had the vehicle inspected and the repair work was authorized with hesitation on the regional reps part.
Congrats on your repair. Good to see that they repaired your FJ even with the OME lift. Others have not been as lucky.
Congrats on your repair. Good to see that they repaired your FJ even with the OME lift. Others have not been as lucky.
Thanks, yeah the regional rep was clear that it's against standard policies to cover this repair on modified (lifted) vehicles or those with larger tires. Luckily I had reported evidence (photos) of my FJ pre-lift when I first documented the issue on my FJ.
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Here's my $0.02 - I'm looking at buying a used FJ as my next car but this is very discouraging. Has anyone tried to do their own mod-work to fix the problem? I'm not an engineer (yet) but I just finished 5 years getting my degree and to me this just screams fatigue failure due to cold working of the metal in the stamping process. Its looks like its failing in the exact root of the indentation. As this panel flexes, all the flexure is going to be localized to the root of this stamp in a bending moment. No doubt the material here has been cold worked during stamping causing it be become more brittle than its surrounding material. Has anyone tried to anneal the area to reduce the internal stresses and make it more tolerable to flexure and reduce its brittleness? What about welding in a fillet or boxing the indentation? Welding the crack itself would likely worsen the issue as the effects of the heating and cooling would likely just worsen the metallurgy and you would still be left with a huge stress concentration. If you were to box it with a layer of similar sheet metal it would reduce the applied stress... orr maybe use a ball peen hammer to make the stamp larger to dissapate the stress over a larger area. Looking at the sketch posted it looks like the stresses are being cause by the panel only being supported at only two fixed points. Perhaps adding a third support directly below the affected area to the frame would help. I have a Bombardier Iltis and they are synonymous with having wrinkles in the body just in front of the windshield from soldiers jumping them during service. Its a similar issue as that section of body isn't properly supported on the frame.
Has anyone attempted their own repairs without replacing the panel? How have they worked out?
The 3rd gen apron essentially has "triangular box" added to minimize flexing.
Still a band aid IMO-And devalues the truck.
Wait another few years when most "non-enthusiasts" develop the problem. It'll be a black eye for a company that already realizes their reputation ain't what it was...
Yes, I'm a bit bitter I bought a $32-k truck that needed structural work less than two years after purchase!
The 3rd gen apron essentially has "triangular box" added to minimize flexing.
Still a band aid IMO-And devalues the truck.
Wait another few years when most "non-enthusiasts" develop the problem. It'll be a black eye for a company that already realizes their reputation ain't what it was...
Yes, I'm a bit bitter I bought a $32-k truck that needed structural work less than two years after purchase!
So have you filed a report with the NHTSA?
In addition to the above, the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigations does not show a single FJ Cruiser investigation having ever been opened. They do show these for some other Toyota vehicles, but not the FJ Cruiser.
That's 63 FJ's that have been reported with the problem or concerned about the problem with the NHTSA.
According to the poll on this thread there are 262 FJ's that have the problem (not counting the one's that are concerned about the problem, such as myself), which have not reported the problem to the NHTSA.
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'08 Fusion: ARB rack, custom ladder & Hi-lift mount, DO front bumper, MileMarker Hyd Winch, SPEC Stage-1 clutch, Cobra CB, & more......
Hello. We're thinking of replacing my wife's aging Taco with an FJ - she's driven a test vehicle several times and likes the FJ very much. We own land in Nevada, 30 miles along a gravel road and then 5 miles up a jeep trail on a mountainside, so the vehicle we buy will be driven off the pavement.
I'm concerned about this fender rip issue. While I doubt if anyone has an answer to this question, I thought I'd ask anyway, before we decide. I understand that the '09's have boxed fenders to try to control flexing - but has anyone heard if Toyota has a different fix for the upcoming 2010 vehicles - perhaps a redesign? We're deciding on whether to bid for several '08 and '09 vehicles, or order a '10.
I asked, and dealers around here aren't even familiar with the original problem, and the 800 customer service number was of no help, either....
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