2024 TRD Pro Battery Type

[TacoFreak]

I will have to check the current voltage on my battery. I haven't hit the 5K miles yet. I will take it in for sure when I hit the 5K.

I am taking my truck to the dealer next week, even though I am not quite to 5k miles yet either. I am due for a state inspection and the trailer blind spot monitor software update. But I also want to hear what they have to say about my truck sitting at 12.1 volts no matter how much it is driven.

My short term solutions are to not use the app and to carry a jump pack so I feel confident it will start. Long term I don't know what I will do, because I expect them to tell me this is normal, and a lot of us understand that it is not.

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[TacoFreak]

OK, Toyota service says that my truck is fine and that I cause the problem by not driving it every day. I figured that would be the answer, but I wanted to hear it from a Certified Toyota Service department.

The service writer said I should drive it at least every other day to keep it charged, and when I said that driving it does not raise the charge level she just stared at me. Then she said I should put it on a trickle charger if I was not going to drive it for more than a day or two. They should put that in the owner's manual - "Truck must not sit for more than two days or it may not start. Good Luck!"

As far as I can tell this is the official Toyota answer. Hybrids can't reliably charge their 12 volts and it is our problem, not theirs. They had no comment on short 12 volt life spans when they are kept at low charge levels. I guess they are hoping they won't die until the warranty is up.

Bottom line, don't buy a Toyota hybrid if you don't drive your truck every day, and you want to count on it starting, and do not stay logged into the app. Nice job Toyota!

 

[Rubenc87]

I am taking my truck to the dealer next week, even though I am not quite to 5k miles yet either. I am due for a state inspection and the trailer blind spot monitor software update. But I also want to hear what they have to say about my truck sitting at 12.1 volts no matter how much it is driven.

My short term solutions are to not use the app and to carry a jump pack so I feel confident it will start. Long term I don't know what I will do, because I expect them to tell me this is normal, and a lot of us understand that it is not.

Took a voltage reading... 12.21V. This is on a 2025 TRD PRO purchased in February Not sure what to think.

 

[Tom Sellick]

OK, Toyota service says that my truck is fine and that I cause the problem by not driving it every day. I figured that would be the answer, but I wanted to hear it from a Certified Toyota Service department.

The service writer said I should drive it at least every other day to keep it charged, and when I said that driving it does not raise the charge level she just stared at me. Then she said I should put it on a trickle charger if I was not going to drive it for more than a day or two. They should put that in the owner's manual - "Truck must not sit for more than two days or it may not start. Good Luck!"

As far as I can tell this is the official Toyota answer. Hybrids can't reliably charge their 12 volts and it is our problem, not theirs. They had no comment on short 12 volt life spans when they are kept at low charge levels. I guess they are hoping they won't die until the warranty is up.

Bottom line, don't buy a Toyota hybrid if you don't drive your truck every day, and you want to count on it starting, and do not stay logged into the app. Nice job Toyota!

Yep. Exact same song and dance I got. Mind boggling really. Certainly going to influence my next vehicle purchase…not that they care.

 

[TacoFreak]

Took a voltage reading... 12.21V. This is on a 2025 TRD PRO purchased in February Not sure what to think.

Your truck will probably continue to start, because it uses the traction battery/motor to start the engine. Obviously having an alternator on some 2025 trucks has not fixed this problem.You can also reduce the chances of it going dead by not staying logged into the app, which was what Lexus told my wife to do with her BEV.

Everything that I have read says that a resting state of charge that low will eventually kill a 12 volt, so I don't expect mine to last very long. When the 12 volt fails I will replace it with a deep discharge AGM like an Optima yellow top.

Yep. Exact same song and dance I got. Mind boggling really. Certainly going to influence my next vehicle purchase…not that they care.

No, they don't care. They have probably had this question with other hybrids for years and have their standard answers ready. It will influence my next purchase decision too

 

[gpburdell]

Your truck will probably continue to start, because it uses the traction battery/motor to start the engine.

Not if the 12V battery is can't operate the electronics needed to start the truck, unfortunately.

Alternator on 2025 trucks with 4th AUX switch is a red herring IMHO - it's there to supply the additional current when running, and likely doesn't affect the 12V battery charging system.

Took a voltage reading... 12.21V. This is on a 2025 TRD PRO purchased in February Not sure what to think.

If it were me - and this is easy to say sitting on the sidelines - I'd start documenting for a potential lemon law case. State of Charge vs Voltage data for sealed lead acid batteries is well known, and I challenge anyone to find an authoritative source claiming 12.21V isn't significantly discharged.

OK, Toyota service says that my truck is fine and that I cause the problem by not driving it every day. [...] Bottom line, don't buy a Toyota hybrid if you don't drive your truck every day, and you want to count on it starting, and do not stay logged into the app. Nice job Toyota!

Wow. Just wow. Do you have other dealers you can try? Maybe a Mona Lisa Vito you can bring with you to talk with the service writer?

I liked the hybrid during test drives, and perhaps not all of them have this issue, but enough clearly do that I'll keep driving my '17 for a while longer.

 

[k1m]

So. As frustrating as the battery issue is, the fact that the running 12v system in general also drops to 11.4 after a while and often within minutes after firing up the truck is the most mind boggling. I have done multiple measurements for months now as I’m flying down the highway and the voltage at the 12v socket is low as well. It initially supplies a suitable voltage until the system decides it has given enough to the battery and then it drops! All of it. I have ham radio equipment that is tolerant of these drops but they have sensitive measuring capabilities that allow me to get an accurate measurement of the system voltage. I do see an intermittent spike in the voltage presumably to give the battery a gentle nudge but it is short lived and then returns to the baffling low voltage level.

 

[TacoFreak]

Not if the 12V battery is can't operate the electronics needed to start the truck, unfortunately.

Alternator on 2025 trucks with 4th AUX switch is a red herring IMHO - it's there to supply the additional current when running, and likely doesn't affect the 12V battery charging system.

Very true about having enough power to operate the electronics. When my wife's Lexus BEV was just two months old it failed to even turn on after sitting only two days. I charged the battery and we took it to the dealer. They said the battery was fine, and that this was a known problem with no solution. They advised her not to use the app and it has not gone completely dead again. It usually sits at around 12.2 volts. I think that this is a problem in Toyota hybrids and electrics in general.

Wow. Just wow. Do you have other dealers you can try?

Not really. There are only two Toyota dealers within 100 miles of me, and mine is the one with the reputation for excellent service!

I liked the hybrid during test drives, and perhaps not all of them have this issue, but enough clearly do that I'll keep driving my '17 for a while longer.

I love the hybrid but I am also partial to a truck that starts and runs. I don't know if I would chose the hybrid again, knowing about this problem.

 

[Tom Sellick]

Very true about having enough power to operate the electronics. When my wife's Lexus BEV was just two months old it failed to even turn on after sitting only two days. I charged the battery and we took it to the dealer. They said the battery was fine, and that this was a known problem with no solution. They advised her not to use the app and it has not gone completely dead again. It usually sits at around 12.2 volts. I think that this is a problem in Toyota hybrids and electrics in general.

Not really. There are only two Toyota dealers within 100 miles of me, and mine is the one with the reputation for excellent service!

I love the hybrid but I am also partial to a truck that starts and runs. I don't know if I would chose the hybrid again, knowing about this problem.

I'm with you on choosing the hybrid. Not sure I would choose it again either. I'd rather have a truck I can rely on to start.

 

[TacoFreak]

So. As frustrating as the battery issue is, the fact that the running 12v system in general also drops to 11.4 after a while and often within minutes after firing up the truck is the most mind boggling.

Mine does the same thing and I have friends with hybrids who have the same issue. Mine immediately goes to a normal voltage when if first starts, and pretty quickly drops down to 11.4 volts and then randomly fluctuates but hardly ever goes back to a normal voltage level until it is started again. It is bizarre and this is the only vehicle I have ever owned that did that unless the alternator or voltage regulator were failing. What amazes me is that Toyota's answer is that this is normal and they aren't even trying to address it.

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