2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser has 40 complaints with NHTSA after 15 years, or 5 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 3 FJ Cruiser years on this site. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Labels, Exterior lighting, and Anchorage.

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Structure (11 of 40), then Steering (9) and Seat belts (5). Those filings include 1 that reports a fire.

Next to 2013

The 2013 FJ Cruiser has 23 complaints, 2 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (5)

Recall Labels 2014-08-04 · NHTSA campaign 14V475000

Summary 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."

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.

Recall Exterior lighting 2013-04-25 · NHTSA campaign 13V163000

Summary 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."

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.

Recall Labels 2013-04-09 · NHTSA campaign 13V123000

Summary 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."

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.

Recall seat belts, front, anchorage 2013-03-15 · NHTSA campaign 13V098000

Summary 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.

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.

Recall Equipment 2012-10-17 · NHTSA campaign 12E046000

Summary Toyota is recalling certain Toyota Racing Development (TRD) brake kits, P/N PTR09-35070, and TRD High-Performance brake kits, P/N PTR09-35100, installed by Toyota vehicle processing centers and sold by Toyota dealers as an optional accessory for model year 2007 through 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser vehicles. The subject TRD brake kit is specifically designed for the front wheels of 2007-2012 model year FJ Cruiser vehicles. Due to the shape of the outer brake tube of the brake kit, the clearance between the outer brake tube and a TRD 16 inch 6-spoke alloy wheel is minimal. If wheel balance weights are installed in an incorrect location, there is a possibility that the outer brake tube could be damaged due to interference with the balance weight, and brake fluid could leak from the damaged tube.

Remedy All known owners of 2007-2012 model year FJ Cruiser vehicles will be notified by first class mail. If the vehicle is equipped with one of the TRD brake kits, the brake caliper outer brake tube will be replaced with a newly designed one at no charge. During this service, if necessary, the dealer will make wheel balance adjustments. This remedy will be performed even if the vehicle has original equipment 16 inch or 17 inch wheels or TRD 16 inch Beadlock ring type wheels, which are not affected by the condition, to assure sufficient clearance in the event wheels are changed at a later time. Notification to owners began on December 17, 2012. Owners may contact Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.

Complaints by component (40 total)

Structure

Steering

Seat belts

Suspension

Wheels

Seats

Electrical system

Engine

Engine and engine cooling

Powertrain

Service brakes

Tires

Visibility and wipers

Show 5 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"My frame is corroding at a rapid rate and needs to be addressed by Toyota! I truly believe that this was cheap way of selling cars without the proper undercoating affecting these trucks later on most Toyota trucks had…"
Structure · filed 2026-08-07
"Rust damage to frame"
Unknown or other · filed 2025-11-05
"No dealer is willing to fix recalls."
Unknown or other · filed 2024-02-23
"The contact owns a 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the passenger’s side seat belt was inoperable. The seat belt was not able to stretch or lock…"
Seat belts · filed 2023-10-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser SUV 2WD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	3 stars
2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser SUV 4WD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	3 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
FJ Cruiser two-wheel drive	4L, 6-cyl	Automatic 5-speed	Rear-wheel drive	17	20	19 MPG	$3400
FJ Cruiser four-wheel drive	4L, 6-cyl	Automatic 5-speed	Part-time four-wheel drive	17	20	18 MPG	$3600
FJ Cruiser four-wheel drive	4L, 6-cyl	Manual 6-speed	Four-wheel drive	15	18	16 MPG	$4050

Specs and fitment

Single generation (XJ10), 2012–2014

Body styles SUV

Oil 0W-20 , 4.5 qt capacity

Tire size 265/70R17, 265/75R16 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 13V-163 covers certain model year 2007-2013 FJ Cruiser vehicles: the steering relay rod may rust and develop cracks, and in some cases the steering relay-rod tie-rod end may break. Recall 14V-475 covers certain 2008-2014 FJ Cruiser and Tacoma vehicles equipped with accessory wheels and tires installed by Toyota or dealers before first sale: the tire placard may list incorrect spare tire size or cold inflation information, failing FMVSS 110.

Compare

Next year 2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser See every Toyota FJ Cruiser model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser reliable?

What are common problems with a 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser?

The complaints owners file most often name Structure (11 of 40), then Steering (9) and Seat belts (5). Those filings include 1 that reports a fire.

Is the 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 FJ Cruiser has 23 complaints, 2 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser been recalled?

The 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser?

Owners have filed 40 complaints about the 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser is 17.7 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Toyota FJ Cruiser take?

0W-20 on the 2012-2014 years listed here. Confirm the filler-cap grade.

When did Toyota stop selling the FJ Cruiser in the US?

US sales ended after the 2014 model year.

What does recall 13V-163 cover on the FJ Cruiser?

Certain model year 2007-2013 FJ Cruiser vehicles: the steering relay rod may rust and develop cracks, and in some cases the steering relay-rod tie-rod end may break.