Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
17–19 mpgcombined; city 16–17, highway 20–22; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$17,100–$19,110U.S. average; Ohio $15,280–$17,070 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
Owners have filed 23 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 FJ Cruiser. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Steering
8
0
0
0
Suspension
6
0
0
0
Structure
5
0
0
0
Wheels
5
0
0
0
Electrical system
2
0
0
0
Service brakes
2
1
0
0
Tires
2
0
0
0
Unknown or other
2
1
0
0
Air bags
1
0
0
0
Exterior lighting
1
0
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
1
0
0
0
Seat belts
1
0
0
0
2 more parts
Visibility
1
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2011 FJ Cruiser over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
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."
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.
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 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."
Risk: Light intensities above the maximum allowable limit could cause increased glare for oncoming traffic and increase the risk of a crash.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
GULF STATES TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 FJ CRUISER AND MODEL YEAR 2009-2011 TUNDRA VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS." THE TPMS ON SOME VEHICLES MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY CALIBRATED AND AS A RESULT THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LAMP MAY NOT ILLUMINATE SHOULD THE INFLATION PRESSURE IN ONE OR MORE OF THE VEHICLE'S TIRES FALL BELOW THE THRESHOLD FOR WHEN THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LAMP SHOULD ILLUMINATE.
Risk: DRIVERS WILL NOT RECEIVE A WARNING FROM THE TIRE PRESSURING MONITOR THAT ONE OR MORE TIRES ARE UNDERINFLATED INCREASING THE RISK THAT A VEHICLE WILL BE DRIVEN WITH ONE OR MORE UNDERINFLATED TIRES AND INCREASING THE RISK OF A TIRE FAILURE THAT MAY LEAD TO A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL RECALIBRATE THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REGULATION FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JUNE 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GULF STATE TOYOTA CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER TOLL FREE AT 1-800-444-1074 MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, 8:30 AM TO 5:00 PM, OR FRIDAY 8:30 AM TO 4:00 PM CENTRAL STANDARD TIME.
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 THROUGH 2011 FJ CRUISER, LAND CRUISER, TACOMA, SEQUOIA AND TUNDRA VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS)." WHEN FACTORY-INSTALLED WHEELS AND TIRES WERE REPLACED WITH TOYOTA AUTHORIZED ACCESSORY WHEELS AND LT TIRES PRIOR TO FIRST SALE, THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS WERE NOT RE-CALIBRATED CORRECTLY AND THEREFORE DO NOT START ILLUMINATING THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE WARNING TELLTALE AT THE REQUIRED MINIMUM ACTIVATION PRESSURE.
Risk: FAILURE TO WARN OF TIRE DEFLATIONS IS A NON-COMPLIANCE WITH FMVSS 138 AND COULD LEAD TO TIRE FAILURE INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: FOR THE LAND CRUISER, SEQUOIA, TACOMA AND TUNDRA VEHICLES, THE DEALER WILL RE-CALIBRATE THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM ON AFFECTED VEHICLES AND INSTALL AN UPDATED TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION LABEL AT NO CHARGE. FOR THE FJ CRUISER VEHICLES, THE TPMS CANNOT BE RESET SO THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) FOR THE TPMS WILL BE REPLACED. TOYOTA IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING THE REMEDY ECU. IF AN OWNER IS NOT CERTAIN WHETHER HIS OR HER VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH THESE ACCESSORIES, PLEASE CONTACT ANY TOYOTA DEALER FOR AN INSPECTION AT NO CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 31, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 206 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2011 FJ Cruiser, the latest on Jan 7, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (86), structure (35), electrical system (32), power train (16), engine (13).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2011 FJ Cruiser.
EPA class: sport utility vehicle. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
FJ Cruiser Rear-Wheel Drive
4.0 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
17 / 22 / 19
FJ Cruiser Part-time 4-Wheel Drive
4.0 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
17 / 21 / 19
FJ Cruiser 4-Wheel Drive
4.0 L, 6 cyl
Manual 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
16 / 20 / 17
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data