2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser Steering Problems

SPEEDS ABOVE 55 MPH CAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL TO CONSTANTLY SHAKE. IT SEEMS TO BE A CONSISTENT ISSUE REGARDLESS OF THE TYPES OF TIRES AND BALANCING THAT IS USED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO VIBRATE. THE FAILURE RECURRED SPORADICALLY. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WOULD PULL TO THE RIGHT INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES FOR THE DEFECT. A FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED AND BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10.

DURING SPEEDS OF 55-65 THE STEERING WHEEL STARTS TO SHIMMY. WE TOOK VEHICLE INTO OUR LOCAL SERVICE DEALER (NOT TOYOTA) AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A REAR CONTROL ARM BUSHING. WE THEN TRAVELED 2 HOURS TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP (THE ONE WHERE WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE) AND WERE TOLD IT NEEDED A ROAD FORCE BALANCING AND IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT STOCK TIRES. AFTER EXPLAINING TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT THIS WAS A WELL NOTED PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES WE WERE TOLD THAT THEY WOULD NOT PERFORM THE ROAD FORCE BALANCING AT ALL BECAUSE OF THE STYLE OF TIRES WE HAD AND THAT IT WOULD NOT DO ANY GOOD ANYWAYS (NOTE - THE TIRES ARE THE SAME SIZE AS THE STOCK TIRES). *TR

MY TRUCK'S STEERING WHEEL SHAKES VIOLENTLY BETWEEN 55 AND 65 MPH WHEN OUTFITTED WITH OFF ROAD LT CATEGORY TIRES. THE SHAKE IS OFTENTIMES VIOLENT AND ENERGETIC, AND CAN MAKE THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. THE TRUCK IS A DEDICATED OFF ROAD CAPABLE SUV AND SHOULD EASILY TOLERATE SUCH TIRES. THERE IS A VERY ACTIVE ONLINE COMMUNITY OF FJ CRUISER OWNERS, AND THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN DISCUSSED THERE AD INFINITUM WITHOUT SOLUTION, AND HERE IS A LINK TO ONE OF THE BETTER THREADS WHERE IT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED ... HTTP://WWW.FJCRUISERFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/NEWBIE-DISCUSSIONS/113533-2010-FJ-TRAIL-TEAMS-EDITION-SHAKING-HIGH-SPEED.HTML THE PHENOMENON STRONGLY SUGGESTS A TIRE BALANCING ISSUE, BUT MANY ATTEMPTS ALONG THOSE LINES BY MYSELF AND OTHERS HAVE FAILED. THE CURRENT CONSENSUS AMONG MEMBERS OF THE ABOVE FORUM WHO ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE IN VEHICLE MECHANICS IS THAT CHANGES TOYOTA MADE TO THE SUSPENSION/POWER STEERING SYSTEMS IN 2010 TO MAKE THEM MORE SENSITIVE ARE THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. SOME SORT OF UNDAMPENED VIBRATIONAL RESONANCE OR HARMONICS SEEM TO FEED BACK THROUGH THESE SYSTEMS FROM MANY TIRE BRANDS AND TYPES TO CAUSE THE PROBLEM. TOYOTA'S DEALERSHIPS SEEM LARGELY UNABLE TO CORRECT THE ISSUE SINCE IT SEEMS TO BE A DESIGN/ENGINEERING ISSUE. TOYOTA THE MANUFACTURER HAS RECOGNIZED THIS PROBLEM IN VARIOUS MODELS OF VEHICLES IT PRODUCES AND HAS PROVIDED RECALLS. SO FAR IT SEEMS UNWILLING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM WITH FJ CRUISERS. THOSE OF US AFFLICTED WITH THE PROBLEM TRY TO DEAL WITH IT BY AVOIDING THE 55 TO 65 MPH SPEED, BUT THAT IS DIFFICULT. I PERSONALLY SPEED A LOT WHICH IS DANGEROUS TO MYSELF AND OTHERS BECAUSE THE VIBRATIONS TEND TO GO AWAY AROUND 70 TO 75 MPH FOR WHATEVER REASONS, AND I FEEL I'M SAFER DRIVING AT 70 MPH WITHOUT VIBRATIONS, THAN AT 55 - 60 WITH VIBRATIONS. *TR

STEERING WHEEL SHIMMY BETWEEN 50-60MPH. HAVE TAKEN TO DEALER WHICH HAVE BALANCED THE WHEELS AND TIRES BUT I AM STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. VEHICLE FEEL VERY UNSAFE WITH THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKING AT HIGHWAYS SPEEDS. OTHER FJ OWNERS HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

VEHICLE AFFECTED SINCE NEW. STEERING SHIMMY OCCURS AS VEHICLE APPROACHED 63 AND 68 MPH ON A VARIETY OF ROADWAYS. AT PEAK VIBRATION OR SHIMMY, THE STEERING WHEEL MOVES ROTATIONALLY ONE TO TWO INCHES. ATTEMPTS TO "HOLD" THE WHEEL STEADY ARE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE ENERGY INPUT TO THE STEERING SYSTEM IS BEYOND MY ABILITY TO HOLD. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO DEALERS FOR SERVICE. TIRES HAVE BEEN BALANCED BY TOYOTA AND GOODYEAR. GOODYEAR STATES THE TIRES BALANCE OKAY, BUT BALANCE CHANGES WITH 1000 MILES USE. ALIGNMENT HAS BEEN CHECKED AND FOUND WITHIN SPECIFICATION. LAST ATTEMPT TO REPAIR TOYOTA WROTE "VEHICLE VIBRATION CAN'T BE IMPROVED, OTHER FJ CRUISER'S ON THE LOT USED FOR COMPARISON EXHIBIT MORE SHIMMY AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED." SINCE TOYOTA HAS HAD RECALLS ON THE FJ CRUISER FOR TIRE MOUNTING ISSUES, IT SEEMS THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE EVALUATED. NEWS: RECALLS: TOYOTA FJ CRUISER WASHINGTON, D.C.-- JULY 29, 2006 ' TOYOTA WILL RECALL MORE THAN 9400 EARLY-MODEL 2007 FJ CRUISERS BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL TIRE DEFECTS. NHTSA ALSO REPORTED THAT THE INNER BEAD OF TIRES ON THE FJ CRUISER MAY BE DAMAGED. THE RECALL AFFECTS VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH BRIDGESTONE OR DUNLOP TIRES. IF A BEAD IS DAMAGED, A BULGE MAY DEVELOP ON THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE, AND AIR MAY LEAK. NHTSA NOTED THAT THIS IS NOT A TIRE RECALL BUT A TOYOTA RECALL. CUSTOMERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO THEIR TOYOTA DEALER. *TR

AS TOYOTA AND MANY, MANY FJ CRUISER OWNERS ARE WELL-AWARE, THERE IS A STEERING VIBRATION ISSUE THAT OCCURS SOMEWHERE IN THE 55-65 MPH RANGE THAT CAUSES THE STEERING WHEEL TO SHAKE BACK AND FORTH PRETTY VIOLENTLY. AS ONE OF THE PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS STATED, THERE IS A VERY ACTIVE COMMUNITY OF FJ CRUISER OWNERS ON INTERNET FORUMS THAT ALSO HAVE THIS PROBLEM...BUT I DON'T THINK THEY'RE AWARE OF THIS COMPLAINT PROCESS OR HAVE THE TIME TO DO IT, OR SOMETHING. I'M USING AFTER-MARKET WHEELS AND TIRES THAT WERE PROFESSIONALLY INSTALLED BY VERY COMPETENT PEOPLE, SO I'M VERY CONFIDENT IT'S NOT AN ISSUE WITH MY WHEELS OR TIRES. I WOULD LIKE TO ECHO OTHER COMPLAINTS AND SAY THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND FIXED. *TR

STEERING WHEEL BEGINS SHAKES AT SPEEDS OF 50 TO 60 MPH. HAVE BALANCED, ROAD BALANCED TIRES AND STILL THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES, AT THIS SPEED I AM CONCERNED THERE IS SOMETHING WITH THE SUSPENSION/TIRES THAT MAY CAUSE A CRASH IN THE FUTURE. *TR

VEHICLE SHIMMY BETWEEN 60MPH AND 70MPH. TIRE BALANCE AND ALIGNMENT WERE PERFORMED BUT THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE HAS BEEN DOING THIS SINCE NEW (4 MILES). *KB