2007 Toyota Fj Cruiser

THE FJ CRUISER I PURCHASED IN 2007 WAS QUITE RELIABLE UNTIL RECENTLY AND IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFECT WITH THE MACHINED DIFFERENTIAL IN EARLY BUILDS OF THIS MODEL. TOYOTA WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECTIVE DIFFERENTIAL FOR SOME REASON ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 1000 CASES SO FAR POSTED ON THE INTERNET SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE CARBON BRITTLELY IN THE DIFFERENTIALS THAT ARE FAILING. I HAVE INCLUDED A FEW REFERENCES BELOW: HTTP://WWW.FJCRUISERFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/PROBLEMS-DEALER-SERVICE/35767-BROKEN-REAR-DIFF-BUILD-DATE-PLEASE.HTML HTTP://WWW.FJCRUISERFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/TRANSMISSIONS-TRANSFER-CASES-TRACTION-AIDS/126060-REAR-DIFF-PROBLEM-07-A.HTML HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/2007/TOYOTA/FJ_CRUISER/ I TOOK MY CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER OF MARIN AND THEY ARE NOW TRYING TO CHARGE ME $2200 FOR A NEW DIFFERENTIAL, I AM REFUSING TO PAY AND I SPOKE TO TOYOTA, THEY ARE DENYING THERE IS A PROBLEM. HERE IS MY TOYOTA CASE NUMBER, [XXX] PLEASE HELP RESOLVE THIS SERIOUS ISSUE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

HEARD NOISE COMING FROM BACK OF CAR. SOUNDED LIKE IT COULD BE THE BRAKES. TOOK IT TO TOYOTA, WAS TOLD IT WAS THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. MY HUSBAND IS A QUADRIPLEGIC AND WE HAVE A LIFT ON THE BACK OF OUR CAR. NEED IT FOR HIS SCOOTER. CAR ONLY HAD A LITTLE OVER 80,000 MILES ON IT. HAVE ALWAYS BOUGHT TOYOTA... NO ONE WILL HELP. WON'T EVEN MEET ME HALF WAY. NOT THE DEALER, NOT THE PEOPLE I WROTE TO AT TOYOTA, NO ONE. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. I HAVE EVEN GONE ONLINE AND FOUND MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT. WILL ANYONE LISTEN? IT IS IN THE SHOP RIGHT NOW AND WE ARE HAVING IT REPAIRED FOR JUST OVER $1,600 DOLLARS. *JS

THIS IS A TOYOTA ECM COMPUTER ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION. I WAS WAITING IN MY 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER AT A TRAFFIC STOP FOR THE LIGHT TO CHANGE FROM RED TO GREEN. AT THIS TIME, I FELT A HARD "BUMP" AS IF ANOTHER CAR HAD REAR-ENDED MY FJ. THERE WAS THIS REAL HARD "THUMP." THE FJ HAD SHIFTED GEARS ON ITS OWN WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP. EITHER THE TRANSFER CASE DIFFERENTIAL AND/OR THE ELECTRICAL REAR DIFFERENTIAL LOCKED UP. BOTH MY HANDS WERE ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND MY RIGHT FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE AT THE TIME. THERE IS NO DRIVER'S SIDE FLOOR MAT. THE FJ GOT A STRONG GRIP ON THE ROAD AND IT LURCHED FORWARD. THERE WAS A LOT OF EXTRA POWER AND A LOT MORE TRACTION THAN IN THE NORMAL "D" MODE FOR DRIVING ON DRY PAVEMENT. INSTINCTIVELY, I PRESSED DOWN HARDER ON THE BRAKE IN ORDER TO KEEP THE FJ FROM MOVING INTO THE INTERSECTION. TWO SECONDS LATER, THERE WAS ANOTHER "THUMP" AND THE FJ SHIFTED BACK INTO THE NORMAL ROAD GEAR "D." I BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT THE ECM COMPUTER SENT A MALFUNCTIONING SIGNAL AND LOCKED UP ONE OR BOTH OF THE DIFFERENTIALS. THIS HAPPENED WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON DRY PAVEMENT AND STOP WHEN THERE WAS NO DRIVER COMMAND TO SHIFT GEARS. THE SENSATION I FELT IS SIMILAR TO USING MY FJ FOR OFF-ROAD DRIVING AND SHIFTING INTO 4WD "LOW," BUT THIS WAS MUCH MORE SEVERE. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE ECM COMPUTER MIGHT MALFUNCTION HIGHWAY SPEEDS OF 70 MPH. IT COULD SEND A SIMILAR COMMAND TO LOCK UP EITHER THE TRANSFER CASE DIFFERENTIAL OR ELECTRIC REAR DIFFERENTIAL. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE FJ BECOMES A 5,000 LB. FLYING MISSILE, BASICALLY OUT OF CONTROL. I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO STEER THE FJ OR TO NAVIGATE TURNS PROPERLY. IT WOULD BECOME A DANGER NOT ONLY TO MYSELF, BUT TO ALL OTHER CARS IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED. SOMETHING IS DANGEROUSLY WRONG WITH TOYOTA'S ECM COMPUTER SYSTEM IN THE FJ CRUISER. *TR

I THINK BY NOW IT'S FAIRLY OBVIOUS THAT TOYOTA HAS A REAL PROBLEM WITH THE RA61F 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THIS SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, BECAUSE ITS PILOT SHAFT/ BELL HOUSING ISSUE THAT CAUSES THE T/O BEARING TO MAKE NOISE. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT TOYOTA HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. SOMEONE'S GOT TO GET THIS OUT THERE, AND GET MEDIA ATTENTION DRAWN TO THIS. *TR

I OWN A 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THE THROTTLE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE IS A JOKE AT BEST AND DANGEROUS AT WORST. THE VEHICLE ENGINE RPM WILL NOT GO BELOW 12-1800RPM WHEN THE VEHICLE IS MOVING UNLESS THE SPEED IS SOMEWHERE BELOW 5MPH. THIS CAN BE VERY ANNOYING AT TIMES AND DANGEROUS AT OTHERS. DRIVING ON ICE, TOWING A TRAILER, DRIVING IN HILLY TERRAIN. THERE IS NO ENGINE BRAKING AVAILABLE AT ANY SPEED ABOVE 5MPH. WHEN THE SOFTWARE DOES FINALLY CLOSE THE THROTTLE COMPLETELY IT DOES SO ABRUPTLY CAUSING A JERKY CONDITION THAT CAN LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL ON ICE. AT 20MPH, FOR INSTANCE DRIVING IN A SCHOOL ZONE, THE THROTTLE CANNOT BE SET TO MAINTAIN A STEADY SPEED. THE VEHICLE ALTERNATES BETWEEN ACCELERATING AND ALMOST COMPLETE THROTTLE SHUT OFF. THERE IS NO IN BETWEEN. I HAVE SEEN THIS SAME BEHAVIOR WHEN DRIVING OFF ROAD IN STEEP TERRAIN. NOT ONLY IS IT ANNOYING BUT IT IS DANGEROUS. I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE TO TOYOTA TWICE AND THEY CLAIM IT IS NORMAL FOR THIS MODEL AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE. THE OTHER THING THAT IT DOES IS HOLD THE LAST RPM FOR SEVERAL SECONDS WHEN SHIFTING BETWEEN GEARS. NOT SO MUCH DANGEROUS AS ANNOYING AND CAUSES EXCESSIVE WEAR ON DRIVELINE COMPONENTS AND IS ALSO EXTREMELY WASTEFUL OF FUEL. *TR

VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING IN THE SNOW IN 4 WHEEL DRIVE MODE WHEN IT STARTED SHAKING AND VIBRATING AS IF IT HAD A FLAT TIRE. BECAUSE OF THE ROAD CONDITIONS VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT. FAILURE WAS CATASTROPHIC AND DID NOT ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO COAST TOO LONG AS THE VEHICLE JAMMED, AS IF THE TRANSMISSION HAD BROKEN SEVERAL GEARS AND BINDED. VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP ENGULFED IN SMOKE AND FLAMES WERE COMING FROM THE UNDERCARRIAGE. UPON A QUICK INSPECTION IT WAS NOTED THAT THE FRONT SHAFT HAD BROKEN OFF FROM THE TRANSFER CASE, OIL WAS POURING OUT OF THE CASE AND HEAT FROM THE EXHAUST PIPE, IMMEDIATELY NEXT TO IT, HAD IGNITED THE OIL INTO FLAMES. MUD AND SNOW WAS USED TO PUT OUT THE FLAMES. UNDER FURTHER INVESTIGATION IT WAS NOTICED THAT ONE OF THE TIRES HAD A BLOW OUT, THE REAR DRIVER TIRE. AFTER REPLACING THE FLAT TIRE WITH THE SPARE, AN ATTEMPT TO CARRY ON 2 WHEEL DRIVE MODE WAS MADE BUT RESULTED IN IMMEDIATE RESTART OF THE FLAMES. FLAMES WERE PUT OUT AGAIN USING SAME METHOD AS BEFORE AND VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP UPON CURSORY EVALUATION DECIDED THAT THE TRANSFER CASE HAD "INSUFFICIENT" LUBRICANT. THIS IS RIDICULOUS AS THE TRANSFER CASE LOST ITS OIL WHEN THE SHAFT POPPED OUT WITH THE FRONT PINION GEAR CAUSING THE FIRE. THERE IS NO HEAT SHIELD TO PROTECT OIL FROM IGNITING IN THESE VEHICLES. VEHICLE HAS NOT EVEN BEEN TAKEN APART AS TOYOTA IS NOT AUTHORIZING THE WARRANTY REPAIR. ALL PARTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW. *TR

WE PARK OUR CAR UNDER THE UNIT WE LIVE IN, THE CARPORT UNDER THE UNIT IS A CONCRETE SLAB ,WE PULLED UP UNDER THE UNIT TURN THE CAR OFF AND PROCEEDED UPSTAIRS AND HEARING A LOUD NOISE WE WENT BACK DOWN STAIRS AND THE CAR HAD ROLLED OFF THE CONCRETE SLAB DOWN TO THE CANAL WE LIVE ON AND OVER THE DOCK AND INTO THE WATER. THE CAR WAS NOT ON NOR WERE THE KEYS LEFT IN THE CAR. CONSEQUENCES THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE WATER FOR ABOUT AN HOUR BEFORE THE WRECKING SERVICE WAS ABLE TO RETRIEVE IT OUT. THE ADJUSTER TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE TOTAL BECAUSE OF THE ENGINE BEING IN THE WATER FOR THAT PERIOD OF TIME. PRIOR TO THIS APPROXIMATELY 45 TO 60 DAYS MY EMERGENCY FLASHER STARTED COMING ON BY THEMSELVES AND WOULD GO OFF TEMPORARY FOR ABOUT 5 TO 10 MINUTES AFTER I TURN THEM OFF AGAIN, AGAIN,AGAIN, I CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND TALKED TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THE GENTLEMEN I TALKED TO NEVER HEARD OF THAT BEFORE AND ADVISE ME TO TAKE THE FUSE OUT AND IT SHOULD STOP. I HAD TO TAKE THE FUSE OUT WHICH IN TURN TOOK AWAY MY TURNING SIGNALS. I TOOK THEM OUT FOR 24 HOURS IT DID NOT STOP. I LEFT THE FUSE OUT FOR 72 HOURS AND IT STOP. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE WATER THE CAR WAS HALF ON THE DOCK AND HALF IN THE WATER WITH 1/3 OF THE HOOD COVER IN WATER THE STARTER TRIED TO TURN OVER, THE RADIO CAME ON, AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS OR BACK UP LIGHTS CAME ON. THE WRECKER SERVICE TOLD ME THE CAR WAS IN GEAR AND IT SHOULD NOT HAVE ROLLED. THE VEHICLE IS A 6 SPEED AND NOT AN AUTOMATIC. I BELIEVE THAT SOMETHING CAUSE THE CAR TO JUMP ENOUGH TO ROLL OFF THE CONCRETE SLAB AND AT THAT POINT GRAVITY TOOK OVER. THE CAR HAD BEEN TURNED OFF AND THE KEYS REMOVED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL BROKE IN MY REAR AXLE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS AND THE WARRANTY WAS DENIED. I FIXED THE VEHICLE WITH AFTER MARKET PARTS AND FILED A CLAIM WITH THE MANUFACTURE ONLY TO GET DENIED AGAIN. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHEN I GOT HOME AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD HAVE FIXED IT UNDER WARRANTY. *TR