2007 Fj cruiser engine bay body rips, noticed at approximately 75K. No off roading since purchased used December 2007 with 32K already clocked. Rips are symmetrical on both sides of the engine bay inner fender apron.

- Mcdonough, GA, USA

I have discovered bulging and cracking issues in the engine bay inner fender aprons at the location of the crumple safety zones. Toyota dealer and customer service personnel are aware of the issue but will not escalate my complaint or allow me to speak with a supervisor. Further investigation shows that there is a high amount of owners experiencing some bulging and cracking issues with 2007 and some early 2008 models. The bulges and cracks in the inner fenders seem to be attributed to a Toyota design flaw through certain VIN numbers. Some speculation was made that aftermarket steel bumpers had put extra weight and stress on the fenders, causing them to crack, but hundreds of fj's equipped with aftermarket bumpers suffered no damage. It is rumored that Toyota addressed the problem in most 2008 models by boxing the inner fender and adding a third layer of metal and a new bolt inside the fender. This is a huge safety concern as it negates the absorptive properties of the frontal crumple zone, in addition to the obvious structural problems.

- Greybull, WY, USA

Cracks and bulges on both sides of the inner fenders appeared out of no where.. I noticed them during an oil change. I don't off road, its almost strictly a commuting vehicle. I'm worried this is a safety problem and want it remedied asap.

- Azle, TX, USA

Body tears in the inside front fender wall of 2007 Toyota Fj cruiser. The tears were discovered at 23K miles after reading about the problem with pre-01/07 vehicles online. The manufacturer claims that these tears only happen if the vehicle is subject to a severe impact of 9G or above. I've driven every mile on this vehicle, it has never had any sort of hard impact at all. The dealer also suggested that the add-on front bumper caused the damage. The bumper, sold and installed by the Toyota dealer, is aftermarket, but 27% of users reporting this problem online are 100% factory. I don't know when the damage occurred, but the vehicle has not been hit "jumped" or otherwise roughly treated. The cracks are at some body filler between two panels, and I suspect are the result of material fatigue. Manufacturer claims that I must have somehow damaged the vehicle and they are not responsible.

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

05-14-2010 I have been very concerned about this fender bulge and /cracking problem on the fj's. well it was my turn, a bulge right there on the drivers side crumple zone. Lets face it, if the crumple zone is already crumpled before you get in an accident, how is it going to help you if you get into an accident. I took it to the dealer, they contacted the fts, field technician specialist. The fts wanted to see if the fj to see if it was stock. I did have one modification. After reading everything I could get my hands from the forums members on this subject I decided to have a readylift leveling kit, installed in the front only to prevent the tires from hitting the inter fender wells. The lift only raised the front 2.25 inches and the drive remained the same. Any modification problems that Toyota may have a problem with can be handled with a copy of the magnuson ' moss warranty act of 1975. The field technician specialist checked out bulge on the driver's side crumple and they verified front inner fender was bulged and recommend the replacement of the right & left front inner fenders. 06-28-2010 I got the fj back from the body shop on Thursday the 24th. Both the apron sub-assemblies & reinforcement sub-assemblies were replaced. Under the hood I couldn't even tell if it was worked on. After all that I have read and the folks I have talked to I'm glad Toyota stepped up to the plate and fixed the problem. Let's hope it stays fixed.

- Placentia, CA, USA

I lease a Toyota 2007 Fj cruiser which caught on fire. Fire was to steering column area. 911 was called /police and fire responded. The fire was visible from the blinker arm hole. Fire was extinguished by myself. Toyota til this day has not told me the cause. It has been in the dealership since. I don't want the car. Toyota has been called numerous times. Yet no one gives me an answer. I don't want this to happen to any Toyota owner. A guy named troy offered me a $1000 dollars to be on my merry way. I don't want it. Especially after their coverup.

- Yonkers, NY, USA

The Toyota Fj cruiser develops bulges in the engine bay over time with normal driving. These are in the crumple zones and eventually rip. Toyota fails to fix this to spite having hundreds of documented cases. Mine is one of them. www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/Toyota-fj-cruiser-polls/37556-do-you-have-inner-fender-bulges-cracking.html.

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Fj cruiser. The inner fender liner metal fractured at the crumple zone. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and a technician stated that he would have to pay for the repairs. The manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 102,000.

- Litchfield, AZ, USA

I have a 2007 Toyota Fj cruiser and the front inner fender are bulging and tearing at the crumple zone. I've contacted riverside auto where I bought it brand new and they basically told me there's nothing they will do to fix the issue, Toyota has redesigned the inner fender 3 times so they know there is a problem but refuse to acknowledge it.

- Skandia, MI, USA

My 2007 Toyota Fj cruiser has a design flaw in it's front fenders. The inner fenders bulge and tear which causes the fenders to bind on the doors, etc. The bulges and tears are in the "crumple' areas of the inner fenders designed to buckle during a crash. This defect weakens an area that should be intact.

- Richland, MO, USA

My inner fenderwells have cracked all the way through at the crumple zones. I have mentioned this to Toyota, and they say it is because of my aftermarket bumper even though hundreds of documented cases have been found on stock Fj cruisers of same year as mine. I feel this issue negates the strength of the fenders and would not react favorably in a crash.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

Paint chips on a 2007 blue Toyota Fj cruiser all over vehicle.

- Ottawa, 00, USA

I purchase my blue Toyota Fj cruiser in September of 2006. A month after my purchase I noticed the paint chipping in odd places that I haven't seen on any of the other cars I had owned. I started talking to other blue Toyota Fj cruiser owners and they had the same complaint. I have been to the Toyota dealership and they have pushed me under the rug. I have called the Toyota hotline and they haven't even consented to look at it. So here I am.

- Draper, UT, USA

The inner fender wall of my Fj cruiser is bending and based on others with this issue it will soon crack, the inner fender wall will move and impede the movement of the doors. This is a design defect and Toyota should issue a recall.

- Highlands Ranch, CO, USA

Driver side inner fender apron started bulging in the area of the crumple zone. The vehicle has not been in the accident or anything similar that would seem to lead to the failure. I am very concerned with the safety of the vehicle now since the crumple zone is affected.

- Manalapan, NJ, USA

Metal tears of the inner fender aprons on both sides at the crumple zones.

- Fayetteville, AR, USA

The inner fender wells on my 2007 Toyota Fj cruiser are bulging on both the drivers side and passenger side. Definitely seems to be a defect in design due to possible inability of vehicle to handle the flexing, etc. It is now affecting my doors and basic alignment of vehicle. Gaps are forming where there shouldn't be gaps, etc. I just got my tires balanced and aligned and the tires are wearing funny just 2 months after having work done especially on the drivers side where the larger bulge is. The bulge is noticeably getting larger with time and will eventually crack. I have friends that have the same problem, started with bulges and now their inner fender wells are cracked. Toyota will not admit to having knowledge of this problem and yet every year the vehicle has been put into production the inner fender wells have been improved and reinforced...but even those are now failing and bulging. Toyota is aware of this and blaming it on offroad use or aftermarket parts....but its happening across the board on all or most fj's. work/warranty work is being denied. We are now left with a vehicle that will most likely fall apart or even worse...will affect us in an auto accident...since its related to the crumple zone and is showing weakness. Please help us and do something about it for us.

- Ramona, CA, USA

Toyota Fj cruiser fender flare problem..engine bay body rips...big problem seen it on 6 fj wow need a serious look at this problem before someone gets hurt or dies...

- Rescue, CA, USA

I went on a trip with my Toyota Fj cruiser. Prior to the trip, I noted that there was nothing wrong with my vehicle. During the trip, I looked in the engine compartment and observed the inner left fender had a slight bulge and crack. The vehicle was not involved in any collision, nor any other type of event. Just normal road driving.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

I have an 07 Toyota Fj cruiser & I checked out my inner fender and saw 2 cracks after reading an online forum complaint board about this issue. My good friend who also has an 07 Fj cruiser has the same exact problem as well. There are cracks on both sides of my inner fender. My passenger side has a bulge around the crack as well. My wife drives our small children (infants) around and I am very concerned. I read many places this is a design flaw by Toyota. Please help as this is a major safety issue and should never crack as it has.

- Folsom, CA, USA