2008 Toyota FJ CRUISER - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser has received mixed safety ratings. While it scored a 5 out of 5 for the front crash driver side and both sides crash ratings, the overall safety rating is marked as "Not Rated." It has a 3 out of 5 rating for rollover possibilities. This model comes standard with electronic stability control, which is a significant safety feature. However, it does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems. In terms of complaints and recalls, there have been 119 complaints and 11 recalls reported for this vehicle. It is important for potential buyers to consider these factors when evaluating the overall safety of the 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

119

Recall Count

11

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4-DR. w/SAB

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4-DR. w/SAB Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2007 Score 2008 Score 2014 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2007 Score 2008 Score 2014 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2007 Score 2008 Score 2014 Score
Rollover Rating 3 3 3
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Complaints for the 2008 Toyota FJ CRUISER

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the frame of my truck has started to rust out as to many fj cruisers. it's been a known issue that these frame have this problem along with the toyota tacoma and toyota tundra. which toyota have a recall on those two models but they've yet to recognize the toyota fj cruiser for the same issue. if this issue isn't resolved, it can result in weak points in the chassis making those area fail and cause an accident underload. i have had my shop look at it and said they can only treat the affected areas so much but the issue will keep coming back over time as rust does not go away unless its cut out. for the safety for myself, any fj owners as well as the roads we share with the public i hope that we get this issue corrected through the manufacturer. thank you"
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2023-07-08

Complaint:
"while inspecting a broken rear fuel tank strap, several holes were noticed in the frame of the vehicle. excessive corrosion was present all along the welds on the frame and its crossmembers. there were spots where i could poke my finger through the frame. there was no warning that this corrosion was happening. i am the third owner of this fj and it was inspected before i purchased it. the vehicle has not yet been taken to a dealership, police or an insurance company."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2021-06-07

Complaint:
"gas tank support straps failed while driving. dealer installed temporary nylon ratchet straps until parts arrived."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2018-03-09

Complaint:
"extreme rust and cracking in frame"
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2013-03-02

Complaint:
"excessive rust on the frame and undercarriage. needed to be cleaned and treated."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2019-08-01

Complaint:
"severe rust on all parts of the frame 'undercarriage', brake lines, gas tank straps. this issue has been widely reported by fj owners and nothing done by the manufacturer. truck was never driven through salt water nor is it stored by the water front. i am frightened that in an accident the whole body of the truck will just come off the frame."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2022-03-07

Complaint:
"the vehicle has a severely rusty frame. rest of the fj body is mint with a total of 80k miles. the rear cross section where the gem hitch bolts to is particularly bad and has hole. the hitch itself is also sitting a little crooked which i believe is due to the poor structural integrity of the cross bar. towing is out of the question at this point but more importantly, i am very worried what might happen in an event i get rear ended."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2020-02-01

Complaint:
"we bought our fj cruiser new in 2008. i have meticulously maintained (with sevice records from toyota dealership), and i ha e always kept it meticulous inside and out. the vehicle is a 2008 with 100k miles and looks brand new up top... however the undercarriage is a completely different story. no matter how often i cleaned the frame, suspension, and drivetrain i could not keep the rust at bay, now i'm extremely concerned about my families safety. i'm worried brackets are about to rust off, and body mounts and bolts are showing severe rust, this is unacceptable. i have never seen a cars undercarriage rust so quickly and completely in all my life. this needs to be remedied before people start getting hurt while driving with these with these unsafe chassis and components. and my gas tank straps are rotting fast. i have owned toyota's my whole life. i currently own 5 different land cruisers. we loved our fj and bought it because we thought it would last."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2021-07-12

Complaint:
"excessive rust on the frame. vehicle is maintained very well, but frame rust continues to get worse. this is a known issue with the fj cruiser on all the forms online. toyota has yet to file a recall on our vehicles. other toyota vehicles that use the same frame have already been recalled. there are thousands of us with a rotting in frames and toyota will do nothing."
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2012-01-12

Complaint:
"extensive frame rust, heavy rust on rear crossmember and rear axle, body mounts"
Components Involved: STRUCTURE
Date of incident: 2020-08-03

Recalls for the 2008 Toyota FJ CRUISER

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2014 fj cruiser and tacoma vehicles equipped with accessory wheels and tires installed by toyota or dealers prior to the vehicle's first sale. the affected vehicles may list incorrect spare tire size and/or cold tire inflation information on the tire placard. as such, these vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims for passenger cars.""
Consequence:
If the spare tire is inflated to the incorrect pressure provided on the placard, tire failure may occur while it is being driven on, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy:

For the involved vehicles, overlay stickers to correct the tire placard will either be mailed to owners or provided to dealers for placement over the incorrect information on the placard. The recall is expected to begin in September 2014. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

Component(s) Involved: EQUIPMENT > OTHER > LABELS
Date of incident: 2014-08-04

Recall:
"gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels."
Consequence:
THIS DOES NOT MEET THE STANDARD REQUIREMENTS.
Remedy:

DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. DEALERS WILL ALSO CORRECT THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GULF STATES TOYOTA AT 713-580-3300.

Component(s) Involved: EQUIPMENT > OTHER > LABELS
Date of incident: 2010-02-03

Recall:
"southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels."
Consequence:
A DRIVER MAY OVERLOAD A VEHICLE WHICH MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy:

DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SOUTHEAST TOYOTA AT 1-800-301-6859.

Component(s) Involved: EQUIPMENT > OTHER > LABELS
Date of incident: 2010-02-03

Recall:
"toyota is recalling 27,080 model year 2005 through 2010 passenger cars built from september 1, 2005 to may 4, 2009. these vehicles were not equipped with load carrying capacity modification labels which fails to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims.""
Consequence:
INCORRECT LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATION LABELS COULD RESULT IN THE VEHICLE BEING OVERLOADED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy:

TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND PROVIDE THEM WITH A NEW, ACCURATE LABEL TO BE INSTALLED OVER THE INACCURATE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 18, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-888-270-9371.

Component(s) Involved: EQUIPMENT > OTHER > LABELS
Date of incident: 2009-06-15

TOYOTA Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

TOYOTA ranks 3 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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