Toyota Hilux common problems: what to check before you buy
Credov's researched list of the 13 faults the Toyota Hilux is known for (2015), 13 of them serious or costly. Each one says what to look for when you check the car, so you can spot it before you buy. Not every car has these faults: they are the ones worth checking on this model.
Known problems on the Toyota Hilux
Fuel pump failure causing stalling
Safety risk
2013–2020 · petrol · Engine
What to look for: Drive it, restart it fully hot, and feel for rough idle, hesitation or stalling, and ask for the fuel pump recall record.
Why it matters: Both the US and Australian recall documents describe a fuel pump that may stop operating, with warning lights, rough running, stalling and a possible failure to restart. A car that stalls on a test drive with a retail customer aboard costs you the sale, and the campaign fix is free at a Toyota dealer if the VIN is covered.
What to look for: Feel whether the brake pedal goes harder and shorter when pressed firmly ten times in a row with the engine running.
Why it matters: The Australian register records an incorrectly manufactured brake booster with an internal fault, where repeated pedal operation while driving could lose braking assist and increase stopping distance. This is a free dealer repair where the VIN is covered, but a ute you retail with degraded braking is the worst kind of comeback.
What to look for: Lie beside the car with a torch and look at the rear spring hangers and shackles, the rear chassis rails.
Why it matters: Replacement hangers are sold as weld-in repair sections. Surface rust at welds, the tailshaft area and exhaust hangers is also common. Left unrepaired this is a safety risk on top of the repair bill.
What to look for: Feel whether the rear number plate moves when gripped, look for cracks at its mount, and check the plate light works.
Why it matters: The Australian register records poor stiffness of the bracket around its single mounting point leading to cracking from metal fatigue on corrugated roads, severing the plate lamp wiring and letting the plate dislodge; the register's stated hazard is a detached bracket increasing the risk of an accident causing injury or death to other road users.
Leaking injector seats (copper washers) let combustion
Costly if missed
2005–2015 · 1KD-FTV · diesel · Engine
What to look for: Look around the injector bases under the bonnet with a torch for black carbon crust or wet tar ("black jack").
Why it matters: The engine then starves of oil and can spin bearings or seize with little warning. It affects the whole 2005-2015 run. Toyota NZ brought in a requirement to replace the seals every 45,000 km, and workshops still advise new seats every 40,000-45,000 km and never reusing the copper washers.
What to look for: Cold start: listen for knock and rattle, watch for white or grey smoke.
Why it matters: Owners and workshops report injectors failing well under 80,000 km on poor fuel. Leaking seats sludge the oil just as on the 3.0. Because the seats are the same design as the 1KD's, the same 40,000-45,000 km seal-replacement habit applies; ask for seal receipts. Left unrepaired this grows into a major repair bill.
What to look for: Check ATF colour and smell (dark or burnt is bad).
Why it matters: Symptoms appear around 140,000-220,000 km: hesitation between gears, harsh or flared shifts, refusing to take 5th, then limp mode with codes like P2714 (pressure control solenoid D) or P2757 (torque converter clutch solenoid). A valve body repair (from about A$2,700) is far cheaper than a full rebuild (A$8,500+), so catching it early matters. Left unrepaired this grows into a major repair bill.
What to look for: On the test drive shift into 4H (and 4L if fitted) on a loose surface.
Why it matters: Owners sometimes chase it for months; some fit a manual switch to the ADD earth wire. Left unrepaired this grows into a major repair bill.
What to look for: Start from cold and watch the exhaust for thick white smoke and a sharp raw-diesel smell.
Why it matters: An expert report in the Australian class action called the system defective; Toyota added software, a manual DPF burn button (from about 2018-2019) and a substantially redesigned system in 2020, and the NZ class action covers 1GD and 2GD Hilux, Fortuner and Prado built 1 April 2015 to 31 May 2018. A new genuine DPF costs roughly A$2,800-4,500; off-car cleaning is cheaper.
What to look for: Open the airbox and look at the clean side (engine side) of the filter and the intake pipe.
Why it matters: Toyota offered a cleaning process; carsales reported that the 2019 update kept the same airbox design. Fine red or brown dust on the clean side of the filter is the giveaway. Left unrepaired this grows into a major repair bill.
What to look for: Especially up a gentle rise, and feel for a fine rumble or shudder like driving over rumble strips that stops when you.
Why it matters: Caught early, a fluid exchange with Toyota WS fluid can help; otherwise the converter is replaced (about A$2,200-4,500 fitted). Left unrepaired this grows into a major repair bill.
Got a question about a Toyota Hilux? Ask Credov: a noise, a warning light, a part or how to fix it.
Also check on every car
On top of the faults above, every Credov inspection covers the basics: fuel smell, leaks or filler rust, engine oil leaks, power steering fluid leak, drive belt cracks or squeal, rust underneath: chassis and mounts, engine mounts, engine oil level and colour, coolant level, colour and leaks, head gasket failure signs, cold start: rattle, knock or smoke, rough or hunting idle, engine running hot on gauge, gearbox or diff oil leak, swapped gearbox without lvv and more.
Researched by Credov from manufacturer recalls and service bulletins, owner reports and workshop sources. Repair prices are typical ranges, not quotes. See also fault codes and repair costs.