Suspension Problem & Toyota's Response - HELP!
I recently had a problem while off-road in my '07 FJ. I've been offroading for 10+ years now and this is unacceptable. Here is the letter I wrote to TMS ... I think it is pretty self-explanatory!
To Whom It May Concern:
Let me start by letting you know that I am an avid off-roader and Jeep advocate. I currently own three off-road vehicles and have modified and drove half a dozen prior to my current fleet. I have been a trail guide for Jeep Jamboree USA and an active member of several off-road clubs both local and on-line. Prior to my Toyota, I owned a highly-modified 2-door Jeep Cherokee, but with a family on the way, I needed something a bit more practical. Toyota has drawn a lot of attention in the off-road community touting the FJ Cruiser as the “flagship” of Toyota off-road vehicles. Having been impressed with several Toyota models on the trails I have traveled, I decided to give the FJ Cruiser a closer look. I directly compared the 2007 TRD FJ Cruiser to the 2007 Jeep Wrangler 4DR Rubicon. The Toyota offered better quality and ride at a lower cost. I have always heard about “Toyota Quality” and my wife and I decided to purchase the 2007 TRD FJ Cruiser.
We drove to the local Toyota dealer, namely Serra Toyota of Farmington Hills, MI. Sales associate Nate Maciag greeted us and gave us the sales pitch and a test drive for a 2007 TRD FJ Cruiser. We ordered our vehicle the same evening. The vehicle delivery date was delayed three times by Toyota and arrived almost 30 days after the date we were initially promised. The vehicle also did not have the Tow Hitch that we had requested three times. I had to purchase the parts on-line and install them myself.
Within a month of acquiring the new FJ, we took several 9-hour road trips with our new family. We were immediately impressed with the fit and finish and astonished by the quality of the ride and comfort being an off-road vehicle. On May 19, 2007, I took the FJ to the Silver Lake ORV State Park in Michigan to test its off-road capabilities. It again amazed me with its ease of off-road drivability and comfort. That was until the last hour in the park. We decided to take one more run up Test Hill and I misjudged my speed at the peak of the dune. This resulted in the front end leaving the ground. The front end landed and we continued driving across several subsequent dunes to the ORV park exit. At the exit, I opened the driver door and heard the sound of metal contacting metal. Upon closer inspection I found that the front fender had been pushed back into the door. I inspected the front bumper and did not find any damage. Perplexed, I proceeded back to the house we were staying in Mears, MI. My friends and I started to inspect the vehicle more closely and found the cause of the damage. Upon landing, the front tires contacted the wheel well directly below a crumple zone on both front fenders. In turn, the impact pushed out the crumple zone causing the inner fender to warp and therefore pushing the top of the outer fender into the doors on both sides.
Having modified and designed several off-road suspensions, I fully understand the importance of a properly-designed bump stop to avoid contact between the tire and the frame. I inspected the bump stop and did not see any damage. The frame and suspension were also damage-free. I began to think that Toyota made an error in the design of the front suspension and started to do a little research. In the meantime, I called Nate Maciag and my insurance company. Nate said his Service Manager wanted to inspect the vehicle. The wife took the vehicle in to Serra for the first oil change at 5000 miles. When we took possession of the FJ, Nate gave us a coupon for a free oil change. When my wife went to redeem this coupon, she was hit with almost a $30 upcharge for synthetic oil. Does Toyota not mandate dealer incentives to vehicle owners? I have a co-worker who purchased a Scion tC and received three free oil changes. Several members of an on-line FJ Cruiser forum report only paying $10 synthetic oil changes for the life of the vehicle at their dealership. After my upcharge at Serra for synthetic, I have now decided to change my own oil which I can do for less than $30 with synthetic oil and a Toyota filter. While the vehicle was in the service area, my wife asked for the Service Manager. He was unaware of the incident (hence Nate never notified him) and my wife explained what had happened. The Service Manager did not know what a bump stop was and my wife had to explain it to him. He inspected the vehicle and told her there was no evidence of the tire contacting the wheel well. I find this quite strange since there are areas where the undercoating is rubbed off and plastic trim is melted from the tire contact. I called him the next day to follow-up and he said he talked to the Regional Service Dept. and that this damage was not covered under warranty.
Taking into consideration the Service Manager’s lack of knowledge on basic suspension components, I did not feel confident that he represented the problem properly. I called Toyota Motor Sales and opened up a case on May 25, 2007. In the meantime I contacted a friend who works for Toyota Quality and confirmed that the FJ ships from Japan with a smaller tire than the 32” BFG AT tire the TRD Package provided me. He said that the 32” tire is installed at the port but there is no modification to the bump stop at that time. Based on my experience with off-road suspensions, it is imperative that the bump stop be lengthened to accommodate for a larger tire diameter. Today, Haven, a Toyota Motor Sales Representative returned my call and informed me that my damage was not covered because the vehicle was “airborne”. He agreed with my statement that while off-road the vehicle is almost never on the ground 100% of the time yet had no explanation as to why Toyota would not cover the damage to their “flagship off-road vehicle” during a normal off-road driving experience. He said he could offer me no more assistance and that I needed to contact my insurance company. I then asked for this address and here I sit writing this letter.
The good news is that my insurance company will cover the damage under my comprehensive damage waiver. I must only pay a $50 deductible. My concern is that Toyota still will not acknowledge a design defect and therefore, similar damage is possible again when this vehicle is in an off-road situation. At this point, I am considering selling the vehicle because while it is off-road capable, the company that builds it does not stand behind the media hype it uses to sell the vehicle.
This summarizes my customer experience with Toyota and Serra Toyota of Farmington Hills. Based solely on these experiences, I will not recommend a Toyota vehicle nor Serra Toyota of Farmington Hills to any of my family or friends. I will also post a copy of this letter on the several on-line FJ Cruiser forums I frequent to warn others that Toyota does not stand behind their products.
To me, an off-road capable vehicle is not only one capable of driving off-road, but also having a company that stands behind the vehicle when damaged while driving off-road due to a major suspension component flaw that was overlooked while picking which options to enhance the appearance of the TRD Special Edition package.
Based on this experience, the Toyota FJ Cruiser is NOT an off-road capable vehicle and should not be touted as such to draw in naïve buyers into thinking it is something different.
Sincerely,
Craig R. Myers
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