Parts for your 1989 Toyota Hilux surf-Gas struts

1989 Toyota Hilux Surf gas struts — are they fitted or relevant?

For the 1989 Toyota Hilux Surf (N130 series), factory gas struts aren’t part of the original setup. Toyota’s own technical documentation backs this up: the factory service manual for the N130 body sections (Hood and Rear Body) specifies a simple bonnet support rod, and the rear of the vehicle is a drop-down tailgate with a power window built into it—there’s no liftback or hatch to require gas stays. The Toyota Electronic Parts Catalogue for the same series lists a “hood stay” (prop rod) and tailgate hardware, but no lift supports for bonnet or “back door.” This layout reflects the 4x4’s pickup-based design carried over from the Hilux utility lineage.

Why no gas struts? The Surf’s tailgate drops like a ute, with cable/hinge support and a powered glass that winds down into the gate. That means there’s nothing overhead at the rear needing assistance to hold itself up. Up front, Toyota opted for a robust rod to hold the bonnet—cost-effective, dead reliable in corrugations and mud, and easy to service in the bush. It’s a very late-’80s Toyota approach: fewer moving parts, fewer headaches.

Owners sometimes encounter gas struts on these trucks, but that’s typically from aftermarket add-ons—think a canopy or rear window conversion on a Surf-imported shell, a bonnet strut retrofit kit, or accessories like a swing-away carrier with a damper. Those aren’t OE for the 1989 Surf.

If the vehicle has aftermarket gas struts fitted, a few maintenance tips keep things tidy:

• Replace in pairs when one weakens