1st gen Toyota Truck 1969–1972

Sold as Hi-Lux

This page is a draft. It has not been approved yet, so read it with care.

A small rear-drive pickup with a four-cylinder and a 4-speed manual, sold in the US from June 1969 as a regular cab with a short bed.

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

Rust All years One source so far

What to check: Look over the body, cab corners and bed for rust and repairs. Most were sold on the West Coast, so survivors are rare elsewhere.

Curbside Classic says Japanese vehicles of this age were not properly rustproofed.

Sources ¹
Front drum brakes All years One source so far

What to check: Brake hard on a test drive and feel whether the truck pulls to one side, and ask when the front drums were last adjusted.

Two Curbside Classic readers who drove these trucks say the front drums were finicky. One says the truck darted to one side under hard braking unless they were adjusted often, and the other says one had to brake with care.

Sources ¹

Every warning and recall for this generation, with a box to tick.