2018 Toyota HiLux lineup
A landmark settlement has been reached in two class actions against Toyota Australia, after it was found almost 265,000 vehicles were fitted with defective diesel particulate filter (DPF) systems.
In April 2022, the Federal Court of Australia found DPFs on certain versions of the Toyota HiLux ute, LandCruiser Prado and Fortuner SUVs had a “core defect”.
The defect related to 264,170 examples of the three models, which were manufactured between October 2015 and April 2020.
These 264,170 Toyota vehicles were fitted with either the 2.8-litre (1GD-FTV) or 2.4-litre (2GD-FTV) turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines, which could produce excessive white smoke due to a clogged exhaust system due to a defective DPF.
Toyota 1GD-FTV engine
While Toyota Australia rolled out a fix for the fault in 2020 – thereby ending the period of impacted vehicles – those who had purchased affected models pursued compensation through class actions.
In 2023, Toyota Australia lost its appeal against the Federal Court’s decision, though this week it reached a settlement with the two groups running the pair of class actions.
“Toyota Australia has agreed to a settlement in the DPF Class Action case. The settlement is subject to Court approval,” a Toyota Australia spokesperson said in a media statement.
2015 Toyota LandCruiser Prado lineup
“We remain committed to assisting any impacted customers and to providing a free-of-charge remedy that has been available since 2020.
“The trust of our customers has been central to Toyota Australia for more than 70 years, and we do not take that for granted.
“We remain committed to supporting our customers, addressing their concerns and continuing to earn the confidence they place in our products and brand.
“We apologise for any inconvenience or discomfort experienced by our customers.”
2015 Toyota Fortuner
In 2023, the Federal Court reduced its initial order for Toyota Australia to compensate owners of affected vehicles with a payment of 17.5 per cent of the value of their car’s “average retail price”, revising this figure to 10 per cent.
At the time, calculations projected Toyota could have been up for more than $1.3 billion in compensation costs, almost double the agreed settlement.
It is still expected to impact Toyota’s bottom line, after the brand’s Australian division recorded an after-tax profit of $380 million last Japanese financial year (April 2025 to March 2026.
While the 2.8-litre 1GD-FTV is still on sale in Australia under the bonnet of the HiLux, Prado and LandCruiser 70 Series, it is no longer impacted by the DPF defect.
Published
October 13, 2026
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