Sever rusting of frame, break and suspension components and brackets. this 2008 toyota fj cruiser is quickly becoming a safety hazard on the roads. i have a 92 sabb and a 93 vw that don't have have the rust issues this toyota has. toyota should have recalled the fj cruisers for faulty frames and undercarriage long ago.
Hello, toyota calipers and caliper pistons have a problem. the pistons or calipers are corroding and causing delayed employment of braking on that caliper. understand that the calipers that are working correctly will "pull" to the side they are on and the caliper that has a problem will have a delayed engagement. this is extremely dangerous. the "good" caliper causes the car to pull to that side, then the "bad" caliper engages pulling the car back the other way. when the brakes are released, the "good" caliper lets go and the "bad" caliper releases a few seconds later. understand that this can happen on any of the four calipers front or rear. the combinations of good and bad calipers can cause the car to zig zag left or right unpredictably, pulling left or right, and if the driver is not ready for it, can cause a big problem controlling the car. hard to explain the complexity of the various braking responses you can get with this problem, but check the comments on the internet and know that there are thousands of people with issues with fj cruisers, four runners etc. i have had three calipers replaced under warranty, but the problem is returning. toyota knows they have a problem, but as usual, no public acknowledgement. please do something about it. you can contact me anytime, [xxx]. this is a problem and please look into it. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr
Brake caliper and brake caliper pistons bind in caliper bore causing the vehicle to pull to one side or the other depending on which side the problem is. when the brakes are applied, the "good" calipers do their job, but the bad caliper pistons are momentarily stuck and this causes the car to pull to the good side as the brakes are applied, then a moment later the "bad" brake pistons let loose and the car pulls back the other way. also then as the pistons are bound, when the brakes are released, the good side pistons retract, but the bad side bind on return, so pulling to the bad side. this is most noticed on the front brakes but also occur on the back. note that the "bad" side on the back may not be the same side as "bad" on the front, causing a zig-zag type pulling , front one way, back the other and can be very unptedictable, particularly when sudden or "panic" braking occurs. i purchased an extended warranty with the car and toyota authorized and the dealer did replace three complete calipers no charge under my extended toyota warranty. however subsequent complaints brought the regional service rep to a meeting at my request where we went to an empty parking lot and conducted "panic" stops several times at 35 mph and one at 40 mph with not duplication of my complaints. i am suspicious that the panic stopping is a way to get what would be called a "proportioning control valve" to un-stick. this valve as i call it is a device that balances brake fluid pressure to all four calipers in an equal criss-cross pressure so all calipers are getting the same pressure unlike old fassioned single or double systems from back in the day. i can't verify this is a "secret" service fix for unbalanced braking, but now some months after my caliper replacements, the calipers are beginning to exhibit the same problem and i'm out of warranty. obviously there is a problem with the design
The dealer did replace my master cylinder and the pressure pump after the experience with the abs issues as others have stated, this was when the car was under warranty. it seemed to fix the abs problem with the long pulsing and basically the computer taking over the braking. i am still experiencing a mushy pedal and lack of braking when the car is driven over a longer period of time or during the summer months. however after a lot of research and paying attention to the symptoms, i am convinced this is a pressure and heat problem. i don't know why on a 5700 lb vehicle that they are using ceramic pads, dot 3 fluid and this pressure system, it just can't handle it. *tr
Loss of brakes, tried to stop. both feet applied to brakes and nothing. this was a t stop with a 20' drop on the other side of the road . this was on a road driven constantly in our neighborhood. turned the car to the right went over the curb through a yard hit a fire hydrant took it across the street jumped the other curb and stopped in brush. there were no skid marks in the grass or road where the breaks had been applied. drivers side air bag ripped or shredded at bottom did not inflate fully, passengers did inflate correctly. no one was hurt seriously or taken by ems. *tr
While driving about 35mph on smooth asphalt the cars in front of me started braking. i applied my brakes lightly and nothing happened, pushed brake pedal harder still nothing and started to panic then all of a sudden the brakes engaged hard almost causing me to hit the car in front of me and the car behind almost hit me. i purchase the fj cruiser used with about 52,000 miles on it. this has happened about 5 times since it was purchased. i do not feel the vehicle is safe and toyota needs to step up and fix the problem before people are injured or killed. i see complaints all over the internet with the same problem something needs to be done! *tr
Brakes in certain situations become unresponsive. happened twice when my wife was driving. once when the streets were wet, she put on the brakes and went sliding all the way through the intersection. abs did not work. the next time coming out of the parking garage, she went over some loose gravel and applied the brakes and the vehicle did not stop. she rear ended the vehicle ahead of her. luckily there was no damage and the other driver was not a jerk. she said both times the brakes were unresponsive. see this thread for more information of this happening to others: http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/problems-dealer-service/102642-brake-issues-report-your-date-manufacture-vin.html somebody is going to get hurt if it has not happened already. *tr