Toyota Hilux: Fifth (exhaust) injector failure on the 2.8 1GD-FTV - warning lights and limp mode
Fifth (exhaust) injector failure on the 2.8 1GD-FTV - warning lights and limp mode is a common engine fault on the Toyota Hilux on the 2015–2019 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $700 to $5,000 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
- Engine
- 1GD-FTV
- Years
- 2015–2019
- Fuel
- diesel
- System
- Engine
What you are looking at
Example of the part — not this vehicleA common-rail diesel injector. Contamination damages the nozzle at the tip.
What goes wrong
As well as the four injectors that feed the cylinders, the 1GD-FTV has a fifth injector that squirts diesel into the exhaust to raise temperatures and burn soot out of the particulate filter. On 2015-2019 utes this injector cooks itself: it sits in the exhaust stream and the early design did not shed enough heat, so it clogs, sticks or fails outright. When it goes, the dash lights up, the ute drops into limp mode, and a large cloud of smoke often comes out the back. Toyota redesigned the injector with more cooling capacity for the 2020-onwards engine, which is a fair admission the original was not up to the job. A failed fifth injector also stops the filter regenerating properly, so a blocked and ruined particulate filter often turns up in the same repair bill.
What you would notice
- Several warning lights coming on together, then limp mode
- A large cloud of white or grey smoke from the exhaust
- Regeneration warning that keeps coming back and never clears
- Fuel use climbing with no change in how it is driven
- Strong diesel smell at the back of the ute
How to check it
Where to look. In the exhaust just ahead of the particulate filter, reached from the rear of the engine bay on the passenger side.
Look at the lower dash for the exhaust-symbol regeneration button - 2015-2018 utes that never had the campaign work done do not have one, and its absence tells you dealer work is outstanding.
Start it cold and stand behind the ute for the first minute: a big cloud of white smoke, or smoke still pouring out after thirty seconds of idling, points at the filter and dosing system rather than just a cold engine.
Watch the dash through the whole test drive and treat any cluster of lights coming on at once as a fifth-injector or filter problem until proven otherwise.
Ask the seller for the full Toyota service history and specifically whether this ute has had a forced regeneration, a fifth injector, or a particulate filter replaced.
Ask what the ute is used for, because short town runs on a tradie's ute are the worst case for this system.
What it costs to put right
$700 to $5,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.
Ask the seller
- “Has the fifth injector or the particulate filter ever been replaced?”
- “Has it ever been in to a dealer for a forced regeneration?”
- “Does it do mostly short town trips, or open-road running?”
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
- Unsealed 4X4: 'Toyota Hilux N80 problems: common issues and how to fix them' - fifth injector redesigned with more cooling capability from 2020
- carsales.com.au: 'More diesel drama for Toyota HiLux'
- P & G Motors case study: 'Toyota Hilux GUN126 1GDFTV - the DPF system failures'
- Auto Buyers Guide (AU): 'Before buying a used Toyota HiLux' - missing dash regeneration button indicates outstanding campaign work
Toyota Hilux buyer questions
Is fifth (exhaust) injector failure on the 2.8 1gd-ftv - warning lights and limp mode serious on a Toyota Hilux?
We rate it major and common on the Toyota Hilux. As well as the four injectors that feed the cylinders, the 1GD-FTV has a fifth injector that squirts diesel into the exhaust to raise temperatures and burn soot out of the particulate filter. On 2015-2019 utes this injector cooks itself: it sits in the exhaust stream and the early design did not shed enough heat, so it clogs, sticks or fails outright. When it goes, the dash lights up, the ute drops into limp mode, and a large cloud of smoke often comes out the back. Toyota redesigned the injector with more cooling capacity for the 2020-onwards engine, which is a fair admission the original was not up to the job. A failed fifth injector also stops the filter regenerating properly, so a blocked and ruined particulate filter often turns up in the same repair bill.
How much does it cost to fix on a Toyota Hilux?
$700 to $5,000 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 2015–2019 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?
Look at the lower dash for the exhaust-symbol regeneration button - 2015-2018 utes that never had the campaign work done do not have one, and its absence tells you dealer work is outstanding. Start it cold and stand behind the ute for the first minute: a big cloud of white smoke, or smoke still pouring out after thirty seconds of idling, points at the filter and dosing system rather than just a cold engine. Watch the dash through the whole test drive and treat any cluster of lights coming on at once as a fifth-injector or filter problem until proven otherwise. Ask the seller for the full Toyota service history and specifically whether this ute has had a forced regeneration, a fifth injector, or a particulate filter replaced. Ask what the ute is used for, because short town runs on a tradie's ute are the worst case for this system. Look here: In the exhaust just ahead of the particulate filter, reached from the rear of the engine bay on the passenger side.