Toyota is being hit with a rash of counterfeit parts imports to Australia

Japanese car manufacturer Toyota is warning customers to watch out for fake parts and accessories being sold in Australia after its brand protection team uncovered more than 100 cases of counterfeit products being sold as Genuine Toyota Parts over the past two years.

Toyota Australia says the fake products range from bogus badges and floor mats, to unsafe counterfeit brake pads.

Head of public affairs, Brodie Bott, said the company was working closely with Australian Border Force (ABF) to spot the fakes as they enter the country.

"Counterfeit parts are often packaged up to look like genuine Toyota parts with Toyota's logo, but they have not been designed, developed or tested for Toyota vehicles or to safety standards," he said.

Toyota Australia also regularly buys and tests parts marketed as "Genuine" from online platforms to check their authenticity.

"Our brand protection team also constantly monitors the market for counterfeit parts, including online stores such as eBay, then investigates offending businesses and takes action to stop them," Bott said

Bott said they based on there investigations in recent years, there's more than a one-third (35%) chance that parts bought online are counterfeit and if they cause damage, they won't be covered by the manufacturer's warranty.

Three years ago, Toyota Australia launched legal action against two independent retailers accused of selling counterfeit airbag spiral cables as genuine Toyota parts.

In 2016, Chinese police raided an exporter in Guangzhou City with 33,000 fake parts worth more than $1 million in retail sales, and primarily bound for Australia.

Counterfeiting costs the global auto industry an estimated $AU20 billion annually.