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Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

23

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

3

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser have filed 23 safety complaints with NHTSA between December 2012 and May 2026. The most complained-about system is the body structure, named in 10 of them (43%). The typical failure was reported at 20,500 miles, the median across the 10 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 4 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (4)

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

14V475000 · August 4, 2014

The defect
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."
The risk
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.
The 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.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 20,000 vehicles across all model years covered

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

13V163000 · April 25, 2013

The defect
Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2007-2013 FJ Cruiser vehicles manufactured January 25, 2006 through February 23, 2013 and equipped with a Toyota Auxiliary Driving Lamp Kits mounted to the front bumper. These lamp assemblies include 55 watt bulbs and due to this wattage and mounting angle, the combination of the upper beam headlamps plus the auxiliary lamps are too bright and exceed the maximum light output allowed for an upper beam headlamp. Therefore, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, "Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
The risk
Light intensities above the maximum allowable limit could cause increased glare for oncoming traffic and increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the 55 watt bulbs with 35 watt bulbs, free of charge. The recall began on June 6, 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 208,000 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

13V123000 · April 9, 2013

The defect
Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
The risk
An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
The remedy
Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC · up to 7,525 vehicles across all model years covered

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

13V098000 · March 15, 2013

The defect
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007 through 2013 FJ Cruiser passenger vehicles. The retractors for the front driver and passenger seat belts are mounted in the access door (rear door) panels of the vehicle. Due to insufficient strength of the access door panel, cracks may develop in the panel if the access door is repeatedly and forcefully closed over an extended period of time.
The risk
If cracks occur in the panel around the lower retractor anchor, the seat belt retractor could become detached, which could increase the risk of injury to an occupant in the event of a crash.
The remedy
The safety recall began on June 6, 2013. Toyota will mail an interim letter to owners late in April 2013. Remedy notifications to the owners for the repair will begin in late May 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 209,000 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 23.

STRUCTURE 10 43%
SUSPENSION 6 26%
AIR BAGS 3 13%
STEERING 3 13%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 9%
POWER TRAIN 2 9%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 9%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 4%
WHEELS 1 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 6.

2012 2021 2026
2012 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

3 injured · crash · towed

I had a car accident on Feb 10, 2025 and my air bag did not deploy

NHTSA complaint 11648412. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
Please consider opening or expanding an investigation into frame, underbody, brake-line, and suspension-mount corrosion affecting Toyota FJ Cruisers. I own a 2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4WD. A professional inspection found multiple fluid leaks, heavy rust, rusted exhaust, leaking rear shocks, and brake line/hose concerns. After reviewing the condition, the mechanic essentially declined to repair it and recommended scrapping the vehicle. The attached photos show conditions that appear safety-relevant: rust perforation through underbody structural metal near a bracket/crossmember area; severe corrosion around brake lines and fittings; widespread scaling near suspension and frame components; a

NHTSA complaint 11736593, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
I purchased my beloved 2013 FJ Cruiser from Wellesley Toyota 6.5 years ago and have really enjoyed it. I have had it serviced religiously at McGee Toyota of Hanover since my purchase and expected to continue to enjoy it for many years to come and was just informed by McGee Toyota that the frame is severly rusted out throughout. My truck only has 158K miles on it and I expected this to last at least twice as long. This appears to be the same issue Toyota experienced with the Tundra and Tacoma with premature rusting on their vehicles due to a manufacturing issue. There are numerous complaints online about this issue and even a current class action lawsuit. I have alerted Toyota Corporate of

NHTSA complaint 11717366, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS

80,000 miles

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser. Upon having the vehicle inspected by a State Inspector, the contact was informed that there was significant corrosion on the undercarriage of the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer and was informed that the corrosion failure was a result of normal wear and tear. The contact was referred to an independent mechanic who specialized in vehicle undercoating to prevent further corrosion damage to the vehicle. Despite the vehicle being treated for the corrosion damage, the contact was recently informed that the corrosion damage had worsened, and that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The manufacturer was notified of the failure; the contact

NHTSA complaint 11606446, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
I went down the road & hit a bump my car rocked a little so I stopped to check the lug nuts & see if anything was wrong. I did not see anything. So, I continued to go pick my friend up as I was driving down the freeway anytime I hit a bump the car rocked more the faster I went. So I slowed down & watched traffic around me. Picked my friend up, went on the ramp and hit another bump and bam, my vehicle went so high up in the air my friend thought we were going to roll over. I immediately got off the freeway & there was a dealership right there. I asked if they could look at it & they wouldn't, they were too busy. I managed to baby it all the way back to my dealership. They said the control

NHTSA complaint 11465817, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
Frame rust. Gas tank strap rust. Undercarriage rusted.

NHTSA complaint 11443720. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota FJ Cruiser

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2014 30 5
2012 40 4
2011 23 6
2010 65 10

Other 2013 Toyota models

Every Toyota on this site — 272 vehicles, 370 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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