Went to gas station today to fill up my fj with gas and the fuel tank straps broke in 2 places. The bolted and pinned connections are still there but the actual straps have deteriorated and snapped right in half. The fuel tank is now hanging down completely in the rear. First the rear differential manufacturer's defect which they would not pay for at all, now the front seat belt does not work at all and now the fuel tank is about to fall off on the road. What a hazard.
2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser transmission complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 51, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Vehicle will not changed gear from park to drive
When stopping at a red light or stop sign, the automatic transmission has not down shifted to first gear. So while stopped, the car will suddenly lung forward as if hit from behind. This is extremely dangerous for pedestrian crossing in front of the car. There is a very real potential for the car to hit a person when it lunges forward. Since realizing this problem, I intentionally hold down the brake harder than I should have too. There are other issues with the transmission but I though that particular issue is very dangerous. The vehicle has approx 70,000 miles and although this problem was happening from time to time, it is becoming more frequent to where I have to assume it every time I come to a stop.
Read differential has failed. Years affected are 2007-2009. In 2010 toyota issued an updated stronger version of the differential. When differential fails it can lock up both wheels at high speeds thus losing control. There are over 2000 complaints online and over 10000 complaints with toyota alone. It is not only costly it is very dangerous. Mine broke at 40 MPH and I ended up in a ditch. What if I had been doing 60 or 70
Purchased fj cruiser in 2010 with approximately 30,000 miles on it. Shortly thereafter, upon acceleration at low speed, the entire vehicle started vibrating; however, the vibration stopped as I accelerated to a higher speed. I noticed that this only occurred when I started with the transmission in d(rive) but never occurred if I started with gear shift in d2. Complained to dealership(toyota south in morrow, ga) while still within the 60,000 mile power train warranty. The dealership never acknowledged a problem with the transmission. They even suggested that I replace my u-bolt. In 2013, after starting my fj, I heard a loud knocking sound, so I immediately turned it off and had it towed to the dealership. I was told that I needed a new engine due to oil starvation. I parked the vehicle in my garage until this year(2016). I had it towed to the same dealership for another diagnosis. However, this year I'm finally told that my engine is fine, but I need another transmission. This is the same transmission that I complained about while still under warranty. To makes matters even worse, the shady dealership kept no record of my complaints about the transmission while under warranty. I contacted toyota's corporate office, but of course, they provided no assistance.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota fj cruiser. While driving 60 MPH, an unknown grinding noise was heard from the rear of the vehicle. The failure occurred whenever the vehicle was operated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear differential failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,000.
At mild acceleration and only when between 1,000-2,000 RPM the vehicle starts to shake / rumble from the rear similar to driving over rumble strips. The rumbling stops as soon as the accelerator is let go of or as soon as the vehicle's RPM falls outside of the 1,000-2,000 range. It is obvious that this is coming from the rear differential assembly. Toyota is well aware of this problem but refuses to provide a fix even though this is clearly an issue of defect in design or build. Our government should protect the taxpayer on this one and force toyota to enact a recall.
I took my fj to have the transmission fluid drained and refilled. They decided to do a complete review although I see no tool makes they told me I need to replace my rear differential, and told me as if they just knew it was an issue. The cost was $2360. I went home and did some very brief research and found that this is a known issue for 2009 and later fj cruisers. In 2010 they changed the rear axle. A huge number of owners on the fj cruise forums have pointed out the issue. The cost at the dealer would be to replace it with the same parts that have not been updates and would fail again. Toyota clearly knows the issue and more than likely knew when producing the original fjs. My fj has never been off road and only used for normal commuting. I don't speed or drive poorly, and my driving record is completely clean. I found a good explanation on an axle web site. The 2009 & older fj cruisers, 4runners, and prado 120 utilize the 8' which dates back to 1979, and was originally used in 3000 lb mini trucks with 80 horsepower and 27' tires. Late model modified toyotas such as fj cruiser run at double the weight, triple the horsepower, and much larger tires to top it off. For this reason there have been lots of failures, enough so that toyota upgraded the rear to the 8.2' on the 2010 & newer models. It may seem like a small upgrade but there are significant improvements such as beefier casting, larger bearings, larger pinion diameter, larger ring gear diameter, more tooth contact, and a beefier 12 bolt diff case. This makes for an easy swap for your vehicle and will utilize your existing axle shafts, brakes, ABS system etc. This is a big safety issue as this could fail at highway speeds.
Rear diff has gone out and is making a loud noise at high speeds. This could potentially kill everyone in my fj if on the interstate and is a problem toyota is aware of. This should warrant a recall for public safety and toyota should be held responsible.
Replaced rear differential $2,500, was advised when picking up the car the frame has rotted out. Mechanic advises life of vehicle approximately 2 years. We would have never repaired the vehicle had we known. I have been advised this is a known toyota problem.
After 76,000 miles the rear axle started making a whining noise. Took to dealership and they said the rear axle needed to be replaced at a cost of $3700. If this rear axle would have broken at highway speeds, I would have lost control of my vehicle which could have caused a major accident. Toyota knew that the rear ring and pinion gear were defective due to over treating at the factory, but failed to notify any owners of fj cruisers and to issue a recall for that particular problem. This vehicle had never done any off roading of any sort. Toyota has caused a situation for anyone that owns one of these vehicles to put themselves and their passengers at grave risk of causing a major accident if the rear axle gears should fail at highway speeds and or in the process of off roading, which toyota claims this vehicle is designed to do.
My 2007 fj cruiser has about 125,000 miles on it. Last week I noticed that when I drive 45-50 MPH the truck makes a noise and shaking in the rear end and bounces slightly. The truck is automatic but when this happens it feels as if I'm driving an automatic vehicle and am in the wrong gear. (loose feeling power train) they checked the universals and they were fine and changed the fluid in the rear pumpkin but still no fix. Now they are telling me try replacing the fluids and filters in the transmission. (another $180.00 repair bill) this sound only happens when I'm coasting with accelerator at 45-50 MPH and not going up any hills or heavy acceleration. I have an appointment to do the transmission service and I hope it fixes the problem.
Rear differential failure. Gear whine/ grind noise getting louder on rear differential. Gear backlash increase. Apparently toyota is aware of substandard ring and pinion gears in early fj cruisers and changed the design in later models. Vehicle has never been subjected to off road conditions. Fear gear is going to break and leave me stranded somewhere, so need to replace assembly. Toyota should recall these early differentials as the problem is well documented on all the fj forum sites.
2007 fj cruiser, at 34066 miles on october 22 2009 vehicle was taken toyota dealership in alvin,tx for diagnostic test on the complaint of the manual transmission making a high pitched squeak. At that time the dealership replaced the entire transmission under warranty, but at that time there wasn't a fix for the problem. They replaced a broken transmission with one that was prone to fail again. As of today april06 2015 the vehicle is squeaking once again from transmission. Toyota knows of the condition. Tsb 036510 is a fix for the issue but is only covered under 60k mi.
Noise from rear of vehicle progressively worsened over 3-4 weeks. Extreme whine/hum with wheel rotation with corresponding decreased gas mileage. Took to dealership and was told that the rear bearings were "shot" and the rear differentials needed to be replaced. I have completed all regularly scheduled maintenance the entire almost 9 years that I've owned the vehicle and have never had any issues. Estimated cost for dealership to repair is ~$2000. Car has 115,000 miles. Wouldn't expect an expense of this magnitude when all maintenance has been completed by dealership.
Vehicle has loud humming or whining noise coming from the rear end of the vehicle. Noise starts around 25 MPH and continues to get louder the faster the vehicle goes. Problem didn't begin until around 120500. Notified dealership and they stated that there wasn't anything that could be done other than replace the rear differential and bearings.
This is a complaint upon toyota and as they have been aware of manufactured defect in the rear differential gears and bearings of most if not all 2007 fj cruisers. All that are made in 2006 for sale in 2007 have or will have a differential go out as it is a "2000 dollar time bomb waiting to happen as the toyota service manager stated" I asked the manager if any assistance has been given to any of these repairs as it is a common problem with all 07's and he said toyota just assisted one they did a few months back and it was out of warranty. With this information it seemed it could be a possibility since toyota is very aware of the manufactured defect of the rear differential. So I left the toyota dealership and made my call right away as to just be frustrated as they stated they could not assist in anyway other than file a claim. Still the case even after mentioning that toyota assisted in paying for some of the cost of this defective part replacement of another same year not that long ago and still got a big no way can we help in anyway with costs as it is not a safety hazard, but to me it could be a safety hazard as I have heard that the rear differential can go out and no powertrain at all at any given moment and could in the middle of an intersection turning, up a hill, passing another vehicle, pulling a trailer, etc. My differential cover is also starting to get hot and smell from I imagine friction. Anyhow so many incidents of the same case with the same year and same problem, its hard to say how many really complaints and claims they have gotten. I have been told more than a thousand cases. Please take this serious and toyota needs to own up to it for allowing a time bomb waiting to happen and some of those customers had it happen as soon as 65,000 miles just out of warranty. Many others experience the same problem even at earlier mileage just out of warranty.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota fj cruiser. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, there was an abnormal grinding noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear differential and both rear bearings needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota fj cruiser. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact was unable to shift the manual transmission from third gear into fourth gear due to a clutch malfunction. As result, the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the clutch fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 97,000.
The transmission on my fj cruiser is shuddering. It first started at low speeds of 25 MPH, it now does it at higher rates of speed (50 MPH). I was LED to believe that it was my tires since they are 21 inch tires. I brought it to a dealership a few weeks ago (august 2014) and was told it is the transmission. I then did my research and have learned that numerous drivers of the 2007 fj cruiser are experiencing the same issue, and now that the car has over 100,000 miles on it, it is no longer covered under warranty. One just needs to google "2007 toyota fj cruiser shuttering transmission" and you will find close to 60 pages of complaints about this very same issue. Please help us. Toyota knows this is an issue and needs to step up. This fix is costly... Close to $5000.00 to rebuild a transmission.
I was driving on a surface street and felt a strange but and then a distinct thump, thump,thump, sound began emitting from the rear of the vehicle, I contacted my local toyota deal but they failed to provide me with any helpful information regarding any recalls regarding the rear differential. Since I had the vehicle at a shop already and it was out of warranty, I allowed an outside shop to do the work. 1ea ring and pinion gear set, 1ea bearings kit, 1ea seals kit, synthetic oil, and labor for a total of $2002.20 I find it hard to believe a vehicle with 41.000 miles on would have it rear differential fail in the manner that this unit failed.
This problem started with my 2007 toyota fj cruiser (6 speed manual) with only 84k miles. There is this squeaky noise coming under the vehicle and every time I pressed the clutch about 1-2 inches that noise goes away. After taking this to the mechanic we have found that the noise was coming from the throw out bearing, after much investigation I also found that this a very common issue with this model transmission. And more than 65% driver have this issue in the past. I have contacted the toyota of north america hq and they bluntly refuses to take care of it, and also informed me that this is not a big issue. Toyota forum or even a simple search from the website will explain that how much of a issue is this with consumer who owns this type transmission. I urge the federal safety agency to address toyota to take care of this major problem and recall all of this for consumer needs. Thank you.
I recently purchased a 2007 toyota fj cruiser with 95k miles on it. All was fine for about a month until I started experiencing unexplained accelerating and RPM surging when driving below 30 MPH and regularly while stopped in traffic with my foot on the brake. It's not a huge rev, but rather the engine will suddenly rise from normal idle RPM to about 1300 RPM, then back down again. I can feel the transmission grabbing and I have to keep the brake depressed to keep from taking off. The surge generally lasts for less than 10 seconds and then goes away for a short time. I can get it to duplicate the problem (at a stop, in gear) almost anytime. If you are not paying close attention and happen to lift your foot off the brake, the vehicle will lurch forward start to accelerate until the transmission downshifts. I fear that this will cause a serious accident someday, and someone could get hurt or killed. I have taken it to my local mechanic who says that he can't quite figure it out.
When trying to put my car in reverse I could not move the gear shift lever. It was frozen. The ABS, all the trac annunciator lights stayed on. I had to bypass the gear shift to be able to move the car. I went on line to look up possible causes and was told to contact some of the auto parts companies like auto zone etc. And have them hook up their computer tester to troubleshoot this problem. I haven't had a chance to take it by yet.
Head a slight grinding sound sound coming from the rear of the car(2007 fj cruiser with 56k miles) took it in to have it inspected and was told it was the rear differential. Bearings in the rear diff needed to be replaced and the job would cost estimated 1700 dollars to fix. Really bummed to hear that as I dont drive aggressive with this car or drive it off road at all. Keep reading other people have the same issue with this car year and toyota has not done a recall? I always tell people to buy toyotas because they are reliable, not a happy camper at all. The company need to do the right thing and recall something known to be bad!
I bought this car when the mileage was 36000. I still own this truck, the problem I have with this vehicle is too much noise coming from the rear side. I took it to toyota dealer and was told the bearing is bad on one side of the wheel. I got both rear bearing replaced but the noise remain the same.I talk to toyota but no fix at all. Still driving it with ear plug.
Loud grinding sound coming from the back of the car.
This vehicle was picked up from purchase from greatbridge auto sales on 2/28/13. At the time of purchase it had a complementary 3000mile/90 warranty. When I drove it off the lot, it shuddered and had difficulty shifting gears.. It is an automatic transmission. The very next morning it was inspected by a known mechanic and it was deemed the torque converter. We contacted the gm who advised us to call the insurance that they use. Upon filing a claim, they only cover 1000.00 of work in that 3000mile warranty. But the car repair was 1700.00. On top of that I called toyota, did my research found out that they have had complaints all over the internet, fj forums, edmunds etc... Describing this issue which conveniently occurs right after the manufacturer warranty ends. My problem is that toyota, has known about these problems and refuses to acknowledge it because it is outside of warranty and that is all they will say..consumer reports has stopped recommending this vehicle for this problem and no one seems to make toyota accountable.it is a very costly repair for a vehicle that barely has the engine broken in when the transmission is disabled..it also interferes with the gas mileage which is not accurate because the engine has to do so much more work with the bad torque converter. We have taken all the steps possible and all toyota corporate says is that they have no record of the problem. Please help
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota fj cruiser. The contact stated that there was a noise coming from the rear differential. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the rear differential assembly but the noise recurred. The manufacturer was notified and a complaint was filed. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 72,000.
Rear differential failure. This is a common problem in the early year models of this vehicle. Starts with loud whining from rear of car followed by complete failure of gears inside rear differential.
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