These Are The Most Reliable Toyota FJ Cruiser Years

The Toyota FJ Cruiser has an interesting place in the lineage of the company's SUVs. It appeared for the 2007 model year and became a hot commodity, with a retro look that made it unlike most other vehicles on the road at the time. However, that hot status cooled off incredibly quickly as sales declined rapidly and led to Toyota discontinuing the FJ Cruiser after 2014. Despite its flash in the pan existence, there are still plenty of reasons as to why someone would want to get themselves a used FJ Cruiser nowadays — whether for daily use or because the FJ Cruiser has become something of a cult classic

Even within its short production run, certain model years hold up a lot better than others. Toyota has long been renowned for its reliable vehicles, but not every model year is perfect. The 2007 FJ Cruiser, for example, has accrued hundreds of driver complaints made to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over the years, making the proposition of getting one of these used rather dicey. However, other model years only have a few dozen complaints levied against them. The 2009 FJ Cruiser, for example, has fewer than 10 complaints. Let's look at the most reliable model years for the Toyota FJ Cruiser, based on the number of user reports listed on the NHTSA website and CarComplaints.

The Toyota FJ Cruiser's reliability at the very beginning was not all that great, but Toyota was able to quickly turn things around in that department. It took just two years before the SUV reached what would be the least complained-about model year, based on NHTSA data. For context, the 2007 model had 586 complaints made against it, while the following year's model dropped to 121. Then there is the 2009 Toyota FJ Cruiser. This SUV only has six driver complaints on the NHTSA website. That is astoundingly low for any vehicle, but especially impressive considering where it had been just two years prior.

Because there are so few complaints, it is difficult to tell if there is any pattern to the issues that prospective buyers need to be aware of. There were a couple of instances of premature rusting, but that was the only issue that resulted in multiple reports. CarComplaints seems to corroborate this, with the only submission for the 2009 model highlighting the same rust problem. So, while that is something to look out for on the particular example you're considering, it doesn't seem to be a widespread issue.

It should be noted that 12 recalls were issued for the vehicle. That is quite a high number, so it is important to find used models that have complied with these recalls, which have ranged from improper labeling of tire pressure to poor wiring for the seat heaters. If these recalls have been handled, there seems to be little to worry about with the 2009 FJ Cruiser.

That 2009 model year was special because it happened to be a very reliable vehicle at a time when the Toyota FJ Cruiser's reliability was in question. Problems climbed the following year, pairing another 12 recalls with 63 complaints from drivers made to the NHTSA. It was not really until the 2012 model year that the SUV's reliability improved again. It was able to maintain a high level from that year through the end of the vehicle's production in 2014.

According to the NHTSA, the 2012 FJ Cruiser received just 38 complaints from drivers and was subject to only five recalls. The 2013 model followed that up by reducing the complaints down to 21 and the recalls to four, the lowest number for any model year. Lastly, the 2014 FJ Cruiser was the subject of 27 complaints and five recalls. Like the 2009 model, the most common problem on all three model years had to do with frame rusting, so this is an issue to look out for, no matter the model year. The recalls for these later FJ Cruisers also covered a lot of the same territory as the 2009 model, including improper tire pressure labeling and the lamps' maximum brightness being too high.

Obviously, no Toyota FJ Cruiser model year is perfect, but these four clearly stand head and shoulders above the others. Reliability shouldn't be your only benchmark, though, as there are many pros and cons to consider before buying a Toyota FJ Cruiser.