Toyota Prado Problems

We have received a number of similar reports on the same issue, and we have passed them all on to Toyota for a response, which we will publish when we receive it.

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.

You’re on a loser trying to convince Toyota to pay for a new clutch. At the very, very best they might cough up for part of the cost, but I doubt they’ll show any interest at all for the reasons you quote. If the clutch is still operating fine, then take the clutch man’s advice and crank up the radio until the clutch fails and needs replacing.

We were told of a similar issue with the turbo-diesel engine in the HiLux, which was claimed to be cause by over-fuelling during the warm-up phase and there was a revised ECU developed to fix it. Go back to your dealer and check the availability of the fix for your car.

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

I WOULD like to be able to confirm that the problem with the 3-litre turbodiesel engine has been fixed, but I can't. My attempts to get Nissan to own up to a fix have been a dismal failure. All it would tell me is it would take care of owners of any Patrol that had an engine problem. Read into that what you will.

We have asked Toyota for a response on this issue, but so far they haven’t come back to us. Stay tuned, as we will continue to press for an answer.

Toyota has told us that some customers have reported “dashpad vinyl surface deterioration on some older model Prado vehicles.” They go on to say that “the dashpad vinyl surface is purely a cosmetic finish that can be affected by the general care and maintenance afforded, however the condition of the surface will not affect the structure or operation of the passenger SRS airbag in any way. Toyota provides a comprehensive new vehicle warranty and our customer satisfaction policies provide for Dealer evaluation and individual case-by-case assessment well beyond this period.” If indeed it is only the vinyl covering that is affected there’s no affect on the airbag operation and there’s no reason the car should be deemed unroadworthy as some owners have told us their’s have been. If it is a more deep-seated problem affecting the structure of the vehicle then I think there is a risk to the operation of the airbag and is certainly worth following up. As Toyota told us dealers are able to assess older vehicles like the early Prado, so if you are concerned that the operation of the airbag in your vehicle might be affected by the cracking have your dealer check it.

Toyota, and every other carmaker for that matter, won't ever recommend converting its cars to LPG because the modification is done out of its control and to specs it has no knowledge or control over. It has nothing to do with whether the car is suitable to run on LPG. The Prado can be successfully converted to run on LPG. Consult a respected installer and ask for their advice, and check with other Prado owners who have used the same installer to convert their cars.

Yours is the first report of a problem we have received at Cars Guide. We have passed your report on to Toyota for their response, and in the meantime ask Prado owners to contact us if they have had the same problem.