Toyota has said in a confidential dealer bulletin that counterfeit brake pads, containing asbestos and designed for Toyota vehicles, are available online.
News Corp Australia has obtained the document which explained that the brake pads are designed for HiLux utes and Hiace delivery vans and commuter buses sold over the past decade.
It is not clear in which country the counterfeit items are manufactured but they would fit into over 500,000 vehicles sold in the past ten years.
Greg Patton, Motor Traders Association CEO told News that any vehicles equipped with these items pose a serious public health risk.
“Every time the brakes are applied, asbestos dust goes into the atmosphere,” he said.
“It’s that indiscriminate, it’s truly deadly stuff. The disregard these people have for public health is shocking.”
While it is now known to cause mesothelioma, a cancer of the lungs, in the past asbestos was often used in many industries, particularly in building products. It was banned from use in the automotive sector in 2004.