Toyota HiLux DPF upgrade confirmed

The controversial diesel particulate filter (DPF) fitted to the Toyota HiLux has been upgraded, but nothing has been done to fix the ‘dusting’ issues that affect the workhorse ute and other Toyota models.

At today’s virtual media presentation of the overhauled Toyota HiLux, Toyota Australia sales and marketing chief Sean Hanley confirmed software and hardware updates to the 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine’s DPF.

But he said the dusting issues – in which micronic levels of dust infiltrating past the air-filter can force the vehicle into limp-home mode and switch off traction and stability control – did not cause engine damage and was therefore not addressed.

Previously, Toyota has indicated changes to the induction system would be considered to deal with the fault.

Toyota is currently defending a class action law suit over the DPF fitted to both the 1GD-FTV 2.8-litre four-cylinder engine and the 2GD-FTV 2.4-litre.

Toyota has sold more than 300,000 examples of the 1GD in Australia since it first appeared in 2015 in the Prado SUV. It was rolled out in the eighth-generation HiLux and the Fortuner SUV in 2016.

The 2GD is fitted to entry-level models in the HiLux range.

The DPF class action has been filed by Bannister Law and Gilbert + Tobin, on behalf of HiLux, Fortuner and Prado owners. They accuse Toyota of misleading, deceptive and unconscionable conduct.

Toyota declined to answer any questions about the class action today, which had a procedural hearing in federal court in Sydney as recently as mid-August.

It was also notable that Hanley took questions about dusting and DPF when it was directed by carsales to Toyota Australia product development chief Rod Ferguson.

A later attempt at a follow-up question to Ferguson was unsuccessful because Toyota shut down the presentation. A Toyota representative clarified within minutes that the request to ask a question had been missed in error and not on purpose.

The follow-up questions have since been emailed to Toyota for Ferguson’s response. We’ll let you know if we hear anything back.

On the DPF changes, Hanley said: “I can confirm the new facelift model has updates to the engine tune which will continue to improve the way the DPF operates.

“I can also outline that those updates are to both software and hardware.”

In relation to dusting, Hanley said: “There have been no physical hardware or software changes to the air-intake system on or for this facelift model.

“Our studies have shown – as I have outlined previously – that minute dust particle can pass through the filter in a highly dusty environment.

“But this is not known to cause engine damage based on the very thorough evaluations and assessments we have done in what I call incredibly dusty situations, quite incredible driving conditions.”

The DPF is designed to trap pollutants and soot from the diesel engine. Periodically it heats up, burning off noxious particles and then regenerates.

The two Toyota engines’ DPFs have not always regenerated automatically.

As a retro-fit solution in 2018, Toyota added a manual override button to the dashboard of affected vehicles that forces regeneration.

The class action claims: “In the affected vehicles, the DPF system fails, or has a propensity to fail, to prevent the DPF from becoming partially or completely blocked.

“This, in turn, causes the affected vehicles to experience a myriad of other issues, including decreased power, increased fuel consumption and the emission of excessive white smoke and pollutant emissions into the atmosphere.

“The affected vehicles experiencing these issues require time consuming and costly repairs, including repeated vehicle servicing and repeated replacement of components of the DPF system.”