toyota hilux sr 2005

Over all a good ute, our Hilux has to have the gearbox pulled out soon to find a rattle and a new clutch put in under warranty.

The Hilux's have a bit of a week clutch.

Picking up dirty fuel in the D4D diesels can lead to a $6000 to $10000 repair.

A few have had rear wheel bearing fail and there is a very intermittent engine fault that makes the Hilux go into limp mode.

Don't take this the wrong way but other 4X4's have worse issue then what I mentioned above.

There are no common engine, diff, transmission, suspension, steering or electrical faults known.

Try and get one still under Toyota warranty.

I would suggest a 2 inch suspension lift as they are a bit low in the front end and fitting a secondary water separation fuel filter before the main filter/pump.

Make sure it has a limited slip diff in the rear as not all SR's came out with them.

Try and find one with only one center latch for the tailgate, some came out with one on each side and others came out with one only like the SR5....lot easier to use.

If you can budget for a bit more get a late 2006 model as the specs where updated.

Regards Richard

Hi, I have a 2005 Toyota Hi-Lux 4x4 Turbo Dual Cab for about 6 months and I am towing a 23`5th Wheeler ATM2650 pulls really well its only done 55,000k`s but still have not had a problem.Brad
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Hello Maria,
I have a 2006 SR5 DC D4D 4WD and I have until recently towed a 16'Windsor Rapid (almost identical weight to yours) with it, but never in 5th gear when cruising on the highway. It ran along very nicely doing about 2400 revs at 90-95 kph and it was quite frugal, even when carrying a full kit of camping gear. I was able to pass slower vans without any problems.

As for problems with the 2005 SR, I know that there is some potential for clutch problems. However, from reading posts to this forum and talking with a local Toyota mechanic, I suspect that some of the failures have been caused by the drive train being placed under too much stress. The Hilux is a lighter vehicle than the beefier Landcruiser which would be my choice for towing a heavy trailer or caravan. I have done 52K kilometres without any problems.

I treat my vehicle with care - no speeding whilst the motor is cold, no high revving, sensible use of the clutch when starting off and especially whilst towing; it's got a 2" lift and A/T tyres.

If I was a designer/specialist fixing minor problems with a Hilux, I would:
1) adjust the reverse gear ratio .. it tends to go too fast in reverse gear, which also makes for feathering the clutch when reversing a trailer or van.
2) redesign the handbrake ...it loses effectiveness and needs adjustment at almost every service.
3) improve the headlights ... they lack penetration.
4) install a larger fuel tank .... 76 litres is not enough when touring the outback.
5) add adjustable lumbar support to the driver's seat.
6) install switches for the annoying seat belt warning beeper and the open-door beeper. I have switched mine off !
7) beef up the mounting of the spare wheel .... it needs an additional cross bar between the chassis rails.

Hope this helps with your research.
Cheers,
Robin