Toyota Prado 150 Series Common Problems: An Owner’s Guide
The 150 series Prado was sold in Australia from 2009 until the new 250 series arrived in late 2024, so there are a lot of them on Perth roads. Most are tough, long-lived 4WDs. Like any vehicle that stays in production for 15 years, though, it has a short list of known problems, and they depend heavily on which engine you have.
Here’s what we look out for when a Prado comes into our Stratton workshop, which years each problem affects, and what you can do about it.
Key summary
The 2.8 litre diesel (late 2015 onwards) is the one to know about. Models built from late 2015 to early 2020 had a well-documented DPF problem.
The same 2.8 diesel can lose power if fine dust gets past the air filter and coats the airflow sensor.
The older 3.0 litre diesel (2009 to 2015) is known for injector and injector seal trouble, and it has a timing belt that needs replacing.
CV boots and suspension bushes wear on any Prado that does real off-road work.
Toyota’s service interval is every 6 months or 10,000 km, whichever comes first.
Which Prado 150 engine do you have?
It matters, because the problems are different:
3.0 litre turbo diesel (1KD-FTV): 2009 to 2015
2.8 litre turbo diesel (1GD-FTV): late 2015 to 2024
Petrol: a 2.7 litre four cylinder and, on earlier models, a 4.0 litre V6. Both have a good reputation and fewer known issues than the diesels.
If you’re not sure, the engine size is on your registration papers and in the logbook.
DPF problems on the 2.8 diesel
The diesel particulate filter (DPF) traps soot from the exhaust and burns it off when the engine gets hot enough. On 2.8 diesel Prados built from late 2015 to early 2020, the system often didn’t clear itself properly. Owners reported foul-smelling white smoke, higher fuel use, warning lights and the engine dropping into limp mode.
Toyota released several software updates, changed the filter and added a button to start a burn manually. The problem was serious enough to become a Federal Court class action covering the HiLux, Prado and Fortuner from those years.
The vehicles that suffer most are the ones that mostly do short trips: school runs, the shops, stop-start traffic. The filter never gets hot enough for long enough to clean itself.
What helps: a decent run at highway speed every week or two, using the manual burn button if your Prado has one, and getting the DPF checked at each service. If a warning light comes on, don’t ignore it. A filter that’s left to block up completely is a much bigger job than one that’s caught early.
Dust and the airflow sensor on the 2.8 diesel
This one catches out people who use their Prado on dirt. Very fine dust can find its way past the air filter and settle on the mass airflow (MAF) sensor, which measures how much air the engine is getting. When the readings go wrong, the engine can lose power suddenly or go into limp mode.
What helps: a quality air filter that seals properly, checking it after dusty trips, and replacing it more often than the standard schedule if you do a lot of gravel driving.
Injectors and injector seals on the 3.0 diesel
The 3.0 litre diesel in the earlier 150s is a strong engine, but its injectors are a known weak point. Failures tend to show up somewhere past 100,000 km. The signs are a loud knock, rough running, black smoke and worse fuel economy.
The seals under the injectors can also leak. You might hear a puffing or ticking sound from the top of the engine and smell exhaust in the engine bay.
There’s a less common but more serious fault on these engines too. Some 3.0 diesels from 2009 to 2014 cracked pistons, usually between 100,000 and 150,000 km, often after an injector had been playing up. That’s why a knocking 3.0 Prado should be looked at straight away and not driven around on.
Carbon also builds up in the intake on high-kilometre diesels, which costs power and economy. Our diesel system clean is designed for exactly that.
Timing belt on the 3.0 diesel
The 3.0 diesel uses a timing belt, and it needs replacing at the interval in your logbook (commonly 150,000 km). If the belt fails, the engine can be badly damaged. If you’ve bought an older Prado second-hand and there’s no record of the belt being done, put it near the top of the list. The 2.8 diesel uses a timing chain instead, which has no set replacement interval.
CV boots and suspension wear
This isn’t a fault so much as wear and tear, but it comes up a lot. The rubber boots on the front CV joints can crack, letting grease out and dirt in. Caught early, a new boot is a small job. Left alone, the joint itself wears out. Suspension bushes and shocks also take a beating on corrugated roads, so expect them to need attention if your Prado does regular off-road trips.
Prado 150 service schedule
Toyota’s schedule is every 6 months or 10,000 km, whichever comes first. Along with the oil and filter, the items that matter most on a Prado are:
Diesel fuel filter at the logbook interval (water in the fuel is hard on injectors)
Air filter, sooner if you drive on dirt
Brake fluid and coolant at their set intervals
Differential and transfer case oils on a 4WD that tows or goes off-road
A check of the DPF on the 2.8 diesel
Timing belt on the 3.0 diesel
An independent workshop can carry out your logbook servicing without affecting your new car warranty, as long as the schedule is followed and the right parts and fluids are used. We service Prados regularly, and you can read more on our Toyota servicing and 4WD servicing pages.
Buying a used Prado 150? Check these
Full service history, ideally with services every 10,000 km.
On a 2.8 diesel: any DPF warnings, and whether Toyota’s updates were done.
On a 3.0 diesel: injector history, and whether the timing belt has been replaced.
Any knocking at idle, smoke on start-up, or warning lights.
Signs of heavy off-road use: torn CV boots, worn bushes, damage underneath.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Prado 150 reliable?
Yes, broadly. The problems above are known and manageable, and a well-serviced Prado can cover a lot of kilometres. The expensive failures usually come from missed services or warning signs that were left too long.
Which Prado 150 years had DPF problems?
Prados with the 2.8 diesel built from late 2015 to early 2020. Later models are much better, but any diesel with a DPF still needs a regular highway run to stay healthy.
What does a knocking noise mean on a 3.0 diesel Prado?
It’s often an injector, but it can be more serious, so don’t keep driving on it. Get it checked before a small repair turns into an engine rebuild.
How often should I service my Prado if I tow?
Stick to the 6-month or 10,000 km schedule as a minimum, and follow the severe use items in your logbook. Towing and dusty roads wear out fluids and filters faster.
Book your Prado in
Whether it’s a logbook service, a DPF warning or a knock you don’t like the sound of, we’ll give you a straight answer and a quote before any work starts.
Auto Response is at 177 O’Connor Road, Stratton, open Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Book online or call (08) 9250 2266 and tell us it’s a Prado.
