Toyota Australia has agreed to a $750 million settlement covering two class actions over defective diesel particulate filters, or DPFs, in its HiLux, Prado and Fortuner vehicles, CarExpert reported. The settlement is subject to approval by the Federal Court of Australia, so the deal still needs the court’s approval before it is final.
“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 statement provided to CarExpert.
The same statement offered an apology. “We apologise for any inconvenience or discomfort experienced by our customers,” the spokesperson said. The statement also said: “We remain committed to assisting any impacted customers and to providing a free-of-charge remedy that has been available since 2020.”
Who the Settlement Covers
The cases concern defective DPF systems in 264,170 HiLux utes and Prado and Fortuner SUVs acquired in Australia between 1 October 2015 and 23 April 2020, according to CarExpert, and that group includes some vehicles that were later sold by their first owners.
There are two separate actions inside the one settlement. The original Williams class action began in 2019, CarExpert reported, while the Taylor class action, launched in July 2025, covers owners who bought affected vehicles privately from the original owners between 24 April 2020 and 31 July 2025 and who still own them. Its window opens the day after the first period closes, which means the two actions between them follow the vehicles from their first owners into private sales.
A Long Road Through the Courts
The Federal Court found that the vehicles were not of acceptable quality because the DPF systems were defective, and that Toyota engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct in marketing and selling them, CarExpert reported.
The fight since then has been over how much the defect cost owners. According to CarExpert, the Federal Court assessed the loss in value at 17.5 per cent of the average retail price. Toyota appealed, and in March 2023 the Full Federal Court cut that figure to 10 per cent. In November 2024 the High Court found that it should not have been cut, and sent the matter back to the Federal Court to reassess compensation taking into account the availability of an effective repair.
Bigger numbers were talked about earlier in the case. WhichCar reported that when Toyota lost an appeal in 2023, it was thought the company could be liable for $1 billion, and that the plaintiffs’ lawyers had earlier targeted more than $2 billion.
What the Fault Did
In these vehicles the fault could block the filters, CarExpert reported. That could cause excessive, foul-smelling white smoke, higher fuel use, and repeated unscheduled inspections, servicing and repairs for the owners affected.
The fixes came in stages. A manual DPF regeneration switch became standard from June 2018, and an effective repair was developed in May 2020, according to CarExpert. It was the availability of an effective repair that the High Court told the Federal Court to weigh when it sent the compensation question back.
What Owners Should Do Now
Affected participants should contact their legal representatives for details, CarExpert reported. The settlement is subject to Federal Court approval, and Toyota’s spokesperson said the free-of-charge remedy has been available since 2020.
Owners who are unsure whether their vehicle falls inside either action can start with the dates. The cases concern HiLux, Prado and Fortuner vehicles acquired in Australia between 1 October 2015 and 23 April 2020, and the Taylor action covers private buyers from the original owners between 24 April 2020 and 31 July 2025 who still own the vehicle.
More stories about companies and their customers are collected in our Consumer Affairs news section.
Sources: CarExpert, “Toyota agrees to $750 million HiLux, Prado DPF class action settlement”, 13 October 2026 (https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/toyota-agrees-to-dollar750-million-hilux-prado-dpf-class-action-settlement); WhichCar, “Toyota pays a staggering $750 million to settle long-running class action over problem that hit more than 260,000 Aussie cars”, 13 October 2026 (https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/toyota-pays-750-million-settle-class-action-australia-diesel-particulate-filter-hilux-prado-fortuner)
Photo: EurovisionNim, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
A 2015 HiLux SR5 on a Western Australian dealership forecourt, October 2015. Shown as an example of the model, not a vehicle from either case.
