Toyota HiLux Gearbox & Transmission Problems

We have passed some on to Toyota for their attention and response, and they have come back to us asking for the details of relevant owners and the dealers they have consulted so their Technical Services Department can deal directly with them in an effort to resolve their complaints. Specifically they would like to contact readers Jim Rogers of Boronia in Victoria and Mick Ryan of Niddrie, also in Victoria. If those two readers contact us at carsguide.com.au, quoting this announcement we will pass their details on to Toyota.

Fitting an external oil cooler to your auto is a good safety measure when you're doing a lot of towing, and shifting down a gear before you get to a hill is also good driving practice.

We've asked Toyota about the 'fix' and whether it applies to the HiLux and will report back once we have an answer.

We received the following feedback from Toyota telling us that a Technical Field Manager inspected Peter Shanahan's HiLux and the issue was discussed with the owner. The Manager's findings were that "the vehicle was fitted with a bull bar, driving lights, canopy, and roof racks, all of which add additional weight and can restrict the cooling dependent on driving conditions, terrain, speed, ambient temperature, wind, caravan type etc. The ATM temperature light illumination as per the owner's manual recommends to slow down/pull over to allow the transmission to cool. This is considered within design intent."

Toyota's conclusion was that the vehicle was operating normally, which should be a warning to other HiLux owners that they should be aware of the possible effect accessories could have on the performance and cooling of their cars, particularly when under the additional load of towing. As for yours, I could imagine the auto would be under a heavy load when ploughing through sand and could well need a breather. It's probably worth fitting a transmission oil cooler.

We asked Toyota to look into your case and, while they haven't yet reported back to us, they told us they would investigate it. In the meantime to solve your problem it would be best to fit a transmission oil cooler.

WITHOUT knowing what you do with your cars and how you drive them, it's hard to comment. But if you drive them normally, I would think you do have a claim against Toyota. Having to replace a gearbox at 40,000km, and even at 80,000km, is unacceptable under normal use.

TOYOTAS have a bit of a history of clutch-wear issues when geared for highway work, as is the latest HiLux. But usually the problem surfaces only if you're doing a lot of low-speed driving or towing. This could be an explanation in your case, but we'll wait for other HiLux owners to contact us and see what they have to say.