The Toyota FJ Cruiser has become somewhat of a rare and highly sought-after SUV because of its limited availability and excellent off-road capabilities. If you’re one of the fortunate few that owns an FJ Cruiser, or you’ve found a used model in a good condition, you should know how much it’s capable of towing.
The FJ Cruiser has a braked towing capacity of 5,000 pounds and an unbraked towing capacity of 1,700 pounds. The only exception is the 2014 FJ Cruiser which has a braked towing capacity of 4,700 pounds.
The FJ Cruiser was first revealed at the 2003 North American International Auto Show as a mid-size retro SUV. The reception was overwhelmingly positive and Toyota decided to put the concept into production.
Toyota’s subsidiary Hino Motors was in charge of the construction and built the FJ Cruiser on the platform of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. Unlike the SUV it shares the platform with, the FJ Cruiser focuses on ruggedness and off-road performance over luxury.
The short wheelbase, stocky frame, and front mask design are reminiscent of the original FJ40, with other design cues such as three windshield wipers and the Toyota spelled out on the grille.
The FJ Cruiser was available in the US from 2007 to 2014 when it was discontinued, most likely due to poor sales. Toyota sold over 55,000 FJ Cruisers during the first two years, but then sales started to rapidly decline and did not even reach a third of the initial figures.
The failure of the FJ Cruiser was contributed to the novelty factor wearing off, strong competition, especially from Jeep, and poor gas mileage amidst a gasoline crisis. Toyota tried to save the FJ Cruiser with a mid-cycle engine refresh but ultimately decided to pull it from the market in 2014.
The SUV continued to be pulled from other markets, such as Australia in 2016 and Japan in 2018, but it can still be found in the Middle Eastern market, where the Toyota brand is held in the highest regard.
There’s some confusion regarding the towing capacity of the FJ Cruiser. The 5,000 pounds braked and 1,700 pounds unbraked is consistent across the production run, but the 2014 model has a 4,700 pound braked capacity, which should not be the case.
I can say for sure why this change happened. I’ve seen posts on the Australian forums where owners are talking about recalls that will reduce the towing capacity, but I haven’t seen any proof. The 300-pound difference isn’t significant, but I’d still ask for a picture of the vehicle information plate if I was purchasing a 2014 FJ Cruiser.
You should keep in mind that there’s more to towing than just the braked and unbraked towing capacity. Let’s look at the important figures regarding FJ Cruisers towing and load capacity.
| Weight Rating | Limit & Capacity |
| Curb Weight 2WD | 4,050 lbs. |
| Curb Weight 4WD | 4,290 lbs. |
| GVWR 2WD | 5,330 lbs. |
| GVWR 4WD | 5,570 lbs. |
| Braked Towing | 5,000 lbs. |
| Unbraked Towing | 1,700 lbs. |
| GCWR | 9,500 lbs. |
The weight of the FJ Cruiser without passengers and extra equipment is represented by the curb weight rating. To get the actual weight of the vehicle, you have to factor in the weight of the passengers, items you’ve placed in the car such as snow chains, fire extinguishers, etc.
I believe the curb weight of the FJ Cruiser is calculated without fuel, but I cannot confirm that information, so leave some room just in case. The 4WD model is slightly heavier because of the extra differential.
The gross vehicle weight rating is the maximum load limit of the FJ Cruiser. To get the realistic capacity, you have to subtract the curb weight, the weight of the passengers, and equipment from the GVWR.
By subtracting just the curb weight from the gross vehicle weight, we get 1,280 pounds for both the 2WD and 4WD models. That’s the weight limit of everything inside and on top of the FJ Cruiser.
The gross combined weight rating, as the name implies, combines the entire composition, trailer, and load included into one. It creates a hard limit for how much weight can be towed, regardless of the 5,000-pound limit.
Let’s look at the numbers from another perspective to get a better idea. We’ve got a 9,500-pound combined limit and a curb weight of 4,290 pounds (4WD model). Subtract the two, and you get 5,210 pounds.
The remaining 5,210 pounds are spread between:
Even though FJ Cruiser can tow up to 5,000 pounds, realistically, you cannot tow that much unless you’re driving alone. A couple with light luggage can easily weigh 400 pounds, so the towing limit is now 5,210 – 400 = 4,810 pounds. The limit reduces as you increase the load on the vehicle until you reach the GVWR of 5,570 pounds (4WD model).
To give you as much info as possible, I’ll include a list of trailers and loads you can attach to the back of the FJ Cruiser.
| Trailer Type | Trailer Weight | Average Load Weight | Total Weight |
| Canoe Trailer | 200 lbs. | 50 lbs. | 250 lbs. |
| Jet Ski Trailer | 300 lbs. | 800 lbs. | 1,100 lbs. |
| Motorcycle Trailer | 500 lbs. | 700 lbs. | 1,200 lbs. |
| Teardrop Trailer | 1,700 lbs. | 800 lbs. | 2,500 lbs. |
| Open Utility Trailer | 700 lbs. | 2,000 lbs. | 2,700 lbs. |
| Enclosed Utility Trailer | 1,000 lbs. | 2,000 lbs. | 3,000 lbs. |
| Small Travel Trailer | 2,700 lbs. | 800 lbs. | 3,500 lbs. |
| Fishing Boat Trailer | 600 lbs. | 3,000 lbs. | 3,600 lbs. |
| Car Trailer | 1,900 lbs. | 3,000 lbs. | 4,900 lbs. |
Depending on the weight, a car or a fishing boat can be too much for the FJ Cruiser, but it can handle multiple jet skis, dirt bikes, or the standard camping trailers.
The FJ Cruiser is capable of towing boats as long as the combined weight of the trailer and the boat itself does not exceed 5,000 pounds, or more realistically 4,500 pounds.
The most prevalent problems with the FJ Cruiser are the shuddering, slipping gears, and seat belt retractors. The first two issues stem from the transmission while the seat belt retractor failure caused a massive recall.
The recall data also shows us that FJ Cruiser suffered from string steering shaft, fuel pump, front lower ball joints, and a few other, mostly minor problems. The SUV was only recalled 15 times over the span of 8 years, which is not that bad considering how often modern vehicles get recalled.
The FJ Cruisers have been steadily rising in value. The fact that FJ Cruiser hasn’t been available for 8 years and it had limited availability to begin with makes it a desirable and rare SUV. If you’re interested in buying an FJ Cruiser, now’s definitely the right time, as you won’t get it for cheaper in the future.
I would give the advantage to the 4Runner as a more common and competitively made SUV. The FJ Cruiser is excellent both on and off-road, but it’s a rare vehicle that may be too expensive to buy, especially when compared to the 4Runner.
One of the main complaints regarding the FJ Cruiser was the poor fuel economy. The FJ gets between 14 to 17 miles to the gallon in the city, and up to 21 mpg on the highway. The consumption may not seem as bad right now, but when the FJ Cruiser was still available, it was a big drawback due to the fuel crisis.
The FJ Cruiser isn’t suited to pulling a fifth-wheel trailer, but it can haul a normal camper just fine. You’ll also be able to haul fishing boats, ATVs, jet skis, and smaller cars.
The Land Cruiser Prado platform the FJ Cruiser is built upon is very good off-road. Combined with the potent 4.0L V6 and 4WD, the FJ Cruiser is highly capable, just like the original FJ40.
The realistic towing limit of the FJ Cruiser is just above 4,500 pounds when you consider the weight of the passengers and cargo. The factory limit is set at 5,000 pounds and the SUV is more than capable of handling that weight.
