Toyota Hilux: Air filter housing lets dust past the filter and kills the air-flow sensor (2015-2018 builds)
Air filter housing lets dust past the filter and kills the air-flow sensor (2015-2018 builds) is a very common engine fault on the Toyota Hilux on the 2015–2018 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $300 to $9,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 59 documented faults on the Toyota Hilux.
- Vehicle
- Toyota Hilux
- Years
- 2015–2018
- Fuel
- diesel
- System
- Engine
What you are looking at
No photograph available
What goes wrong
The air filter housing on early GUN-series Hilux does not seal properly, so fine dust bypasses the filter element on gravel and unsealed roads. Particles well under five microns settle on the mass air-flow sensor and corrupt the reading the engine uses to work out fuelling, and the ute drops into limp mode without warning - Australian reporting linked the same fault to stability and traction control switching off at the same time. Toyota Australia declined to treat it as a safety recall and instead ran a customer service campaign from 2018 offering a dealer cleaning process and driver advice, with the air inlet redesigned for the 2019 model year. The dust that gets past also passes through the turbo and into the bores, so a neglected example can carry real engine wear behind the limp mode. More than 200,000 affected vehicles were in service in Australia across Hilux, Prado and Fortuner.
What you would notice
- Sudden loss of power on the open road, sometimes mid-overtake
- Check-engine light with the ute stuck at low power until it is restarted
- Fine red or grey dust on the clean side of the air filter
- Stability or traction control light coming on with the power loss
- Hesitation or rough running after a dusty trip
How to check it
Where to look. Air filter housing on the left of the engine bay, and the air-flow sensor in the pipe between the filter and the turbo.
Unclip the clips on the air filter housing lid, tilt it up and look at the clean side of the filter and the smooth pipe running towards the turbo - any fine red or grey dust film on that side means the housing has been letting dust past, and that is the fault itself.
Run a finger along the inside of that pipe after the filter and look at your fingertip.
Check the rubber seal around the lid for gaps, hardening, or a poor fit where the lid closes.
On the test drive, take it up to open-road speed and accelerate hard for a decent stretch, because limp mode usually shows itself under load rather than around town.
Ask the seller whether the ute has ever gone into limp mode, whether the dealer cleaning campaign has been done, and how much of its life has been on gravel.
What it costs to put right
$300 to $9,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.
Ask the seller
- “Has this ute ever gone into limp mode or lost power suddenly?”
- “Has the Toyota dust cleaning campaign been carried out on it?”
- “How much gravel and unsealed road work has it done?”
Now check the Toyota Hilux you are actually looking at
Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.
Where this comes from
- The New Daily, 5 July 2018: 'Dust problem is causing Toyotas to lose power without warning'
- carsales / motoring.com.au: 'Toyota strikes diesel and dust drama' - 200,000-plus affected vehicles in service in Australia, 2018 customer service campaign
- Unsealed 4X4: 'Your Toyota HiLux might have a dust ingesting problem'
- NewHilux.net forum thread: 'Airbox Design Issue - Letting in Dust? In the News.'
Toyota Hilux buyer questions
Is air filter housing lets dust past the filter and kills the air-flow sensor (2015-2018 builds) serious on a Toyota Hilux?
We rate it major and very common on the Toyota Hilux. The air filter housing on early GUN-series Hilux does not seal properly, so fine dust bypasses the filter element on gravel and unsealed roads. Particles well under five microns settle on the mass air-flow sensor and corrupt the reading the engine uses to work out fuelling, and the ute drops into limp mode without warning - Australian reporting linked the same fault to stability and traction control switching off at the same time. Toyota Australia declined to treat it as a safety recall and instead ran a customer service campaign from 2018 offering a dealer cleaning process and driver advice, with the air inlet redesigned for the 2019 model year. The dust that gets past also passes through the turbo and into the bores, so a neglected example can carry real engine wear behind the limp mode. More than 200,000 affected vehicles were in service in Australia across Hilux, Prado and Fortuner.
How much does it cost to fix on a Toyota Hilux?
$300 to $9,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.
Which Toyota Hilux years are affected?
Our research records this fault on the 2015–2018 Toyota Hilux. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.
How do I check for it before I buy?
Unclip the clips on the air filter housing lid, tilt it up and look at the clean side of the filter and the smooth pipe running towards the turbo - any fine red or grey dust film on that side means the housing has been letting dust past, and that is the fault itself. Run a finger along the inside of that pipe after the filter and look at your fingertip. Check the rubber seal around the lid for gaps, hardening, or a poor fit where the lid closes. On the test drive, take it up to open-road speed and accelerate hard for a decent stretch, because limp mode usually shows itself under load rather than around town. Ask the seller whether the ute has ever gone into limp mode, whether the dealer cleaning campaign has been done, and how much of its life has been on gravel. Look here: Air filter housing on the left of the engine bay, and the air-flow sensor in the pipe between the filter and the turbo.