[J57man]

:notsigned: We all love our FJ Cruiser. Fun to drive, fun to mod. The purpose of FJ Cruiser Rusted Frame Owners Unite on Facebook is to connect those of us whose frames are rusting, some even to failure and to be able to tell your story of what Toyota is or is not doing to help. Safety is our priority and we want you to be aware of frame and fuel tank strap rust. Join us for the most up to date information and help preserve our iconic vehicles. Posts must include a picture of the rust but everyone is welcome to join the discussions.

:flame: https://www.facebook.com/groups/632711680558455/about/

Even if don't join us on Facebook you can still participate by following the the links below. US residence, if you haven't done so file a safety complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for frame structural rust and or fuel tank strap rust. The NHTSA can force a Toyota recall with enough recorded problems.

:flame: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...w.nhtsa.gov/&usg=AOvVaw321hHKh2rUknwaBcoKfHqg

IMPORTANT: A link to a petition form below will provide information on your particular FJ to help with a resolution. All US, Canada, and other countries are all welcome to participate.

:flame: https://forms.gle/V4MUhMshgM5GgPqs9

 

[mikey]

Good luck with your cause.

 

[amaclach]

I'm curious - in the interest of full disclosure, what is your end-game? A class action lawsuit?
I'd also like to see some evidence of your frame/ fuel tank strap rust.
What preventative measures have you taken to prevent or treat rust?
Have you had any contact with your dealer or Toyota? What was the nature of that contact? What was the outcome?

 

[007-FJC]

I guess everyone should sue everyone for rust.

 

[J57man]

I'm curious - in the interest of full disclosure, what is your end-game? A class action lawsuit?
I'd also like to see some evidence of your frame/ fuel tank strap rust.
What preventative measures have you taken to prevent or treat rust?
Have you had any contact with your dealer or Toyota? What was the nature of that contact? What was the outcome?

Our interest is getting a recall simulator to the Tundra's and Tacoma's at whatever level it takes.
There's evidence on our forum and in Toyota USA, it's not an isolated problem. You're not going to see this problem in the desert where a thin layer of anti-corrosion coating is applied.
What type of PM do you suggest since the frames rust from the outside and more importantly inside out. That wasn't an issue with the Tundra and Tacoma recall.
Many of us have already approached the dealerships and discussed the problem with Toyota.

I hope I answered all your questions, keep in mind this is a serious safety problem that has been resolved in other models.

 

[ZerosFJ]

Perhaps the law suit should be against the inventors of steel, which could be somewhere in Asia Minor, or the Chinese in 400BC or the Romans... or ‘Mother Nature for the moisture content of air...I’m afraid it goes with the territory of vehicle ownership, a few have tried to bypass it but that brought it’s own issues...Delorian, Lotus...and now Tesla. Good luck

 

[J57man]

Perhaps the law suit should be against the inventors of steel, which could be somewhere in Asia Minor, or the Chinese in 400BC or the Romans... or ‘Mother Nature for the moisture content of air...I’m afraid it goes with the territory of vehicle ownership, a few have tried to bypass it but that brought it’s own issues...Delorian, Lotus...and now Tesla. Good luck

I'm not sure what your analogy of steel made in 400BC has to do with today's technology. First the body panels including the floor boards aren't turning into dust. Encapsulating a (decent) steel composition really isn't brain surgery. Constructing a vehicle that turns into a safety problem isn't really a competent way to sell more vehicles.

 

[mikey]

I live in some of the crappiest winter conditions, 13 years no issues with rust.

 

[MikeS11222]

This thread and the facebook group just prompted me to spray more fluid film on the underside on my truck on lunch break.
on a side note , my wife bought a ford escape hybrid the same time i bought my fj back in 2011 and her car looks immaculate on the underside. ford used to be known for their rust. At least my old f150 was anyway.

 

[J57man]

Mikey you're so lucky there's no need for you to even join the discussion.

 

[mikey]

No luck involved, just follow a simple plan.

I like discussions.

 

[BIGGUY]

I feel left out. I need to sue for no rust.

 

[Hannibal]

J57man, your request has been denied. Please keep it civil, this is not FB.

 

[ZerosFJ]

I'm not sure what your analogy of steel made in 400BC has to do with today's technology. First the body panels including the floor boards aren't turning into dust. Encapsulating a (decent) steel composition really isn't brain surgery. Constructing a vehicle that turns into a safety problem isn't really a competent way to sell more vehicles.

It’s as irrelevant as this entire thread IMO.

Frame is more susceptible to rust simply by construction and location, flat panels can't trap moisture and dirt. I think what everyone is trying to say to you is a (any) frame is going to rust, it can be managed and limited as part of a vehicle maintenance routine which should be implemented before it even starts.

 

[J57man]

ZerosFJ what do you suggest as routine maintenance?

 

[Hannibal]

There's lots of threads on this.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=fluid+fi...prefix=Fluid+film,aps,227&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_10

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Por+15&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=wire+brush&crid=7ZUXOB3JGXLV&sprefix=wire+,aps,213&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_5

 

[J57man]

:notsigned: More reasons to ask, why is the FJ Cruiser being ignored for this safety problem.

:flame: https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit...s-there-a-toyota-4runner-rusted-frame-recall/

 

[amaclach]

Oh and there we go. Class action lawsuit.
Have you ever been to Baja? Driven in brackish water?

 

[mikey]

What ever treatment you use - film, encapsulation, paint etc you still need to wash/rinse the underside. Nothing extravagant just a quick rinse. You can even set your lawn sprinkler on the underside for 10-15min and let it do its thing.....the neighbours might start wonder.

Over the years I have noticed that folks who use any of the above tend to believe/rely on their chosen method to be the be all and end all outside of yearly application. Most of the time the same people have a nice clean exterior and interior but the under hood and undercarriage are filthy.

 

[J57man]

Hannible I've been restoring vehicles for almost 49 years..........I have an extensive background in full frame off restorations from muscle cars to 4x4's. I'm going to tell you it's pretty remarkable that the FJ40's frames were not prone to this type of rot. The extent of failure for an untreated FJ40 frame exceeds 20 years where the FJ Cruiser is as little as 10 years given the same environment. One can sum this problem up in a few words but I respect this form and I'm not here to bash anyone including Toyota.

The real eye opener for me was when my associate took his FJ Cruiser to the dealership and was told not to put his kids in the vehicle due to the frame being in such an unsafe condition. Imagine your children/grandchildren for a moment placed in this type of situation. We are focusing this FB forum on safety first and I take this very seriously.


I'm fighting for the majority of consumers not the small percentage such as you and myself who would use rust encapsulate products and fluid film, which by the way is an excellent product, to preserve their vehicles. Even with that said how many people who even preserve their vehicle would do it correctly. The rear cross member on the FJ Cruiser for instance rusts just as bad under the bumper as it does on the opposite side (see the video on our FB form). Should a manufacture expect a consumer to disassemble their vehicle to do a preventative maintenance?

Toyota themselves doesn't want to be proactive in rust prevention at either the factory or the dealership level. Even the three Toyota dealers in my area don't offer any type of rust prevention or inform the consumer on the consequences. Toyota failed to educate the consumer on the consequences of not preforming this type of so called Preventive Maintenance. The real question is is this level of vehicle maintenance normal PM for the average consumer? It wasn't even a consideration for the Tacoma, Tundra, and Sequoias frame recalls through the NHSTA. Presently a class-action has been filed for the same problem with the 4Runner. Is it okay to simply ignore the FJ Cruisers?