My i-Force Max has an.... Alternator???

[TacoFreak]

my 24 TH has left me stranded twice with a dead battery. The first time the dealership just charged it and gave it back. the second time they replaced the battery. I callled Toyota today and opened a case. They asked what would make me happy, I said my truck with an alternator woulkd do it. we shall see.

Yep, that is what would make me happy too. Good call opening that case with Toyota. They have to know that there is a problem, or they would not have added an alternator for 2025.

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[TacoFreak]

It shouldn't be using enough power to make any difference.

I am not an electrical engineer, so I really don't know, but that is what my wife's Lexus dealer told her was killing her battery. They also told her Lexus was aware of the problem but did not yet have a fix. I do know that hybrids and electrics charge the 12v from the traction battery or M/G and that they do not do it all the time.

Since she stopped using the app it has not happened again with the same vehicle usage and battery, for whatever that is worth.

 

[beardevil]

Yep, that is what would make me happy too. Good call opening that case with Toyota. They have to know that there is a problem, or they would not have added an alternator for 2025.

That my thought as well.

 

[Lennyz1]

Alternator will not solve the problem of a dead battery on a hybrid. The hybrid already has a far more advanced charging system. There may be some odd cases off-roading with all kinds of lights on, stereo on, heater fan running, defroster on all while you are at crawling slow speed drawing the HV battery very low to the point where it cannot charge your 12VDC system. I can see this happening for diehard off-roaders on a rare occasion. I think Toyota is just covering those bases.

However the daily highway driver should never have any issues charging unless there is a major component failure just like you would have with a failed alternator.

If you think you vehicle battery is being drawn down by some parasitic load. Take a multi-meter set to milliamps, remove the negative battery cable and place one lead from the meter on the negative battery terminal and the other on the negative cable. This will tell you if you have a problem with a cell modem or other device drawing down your battery.

Taco has a 80 AH battery. If you have a parasitic draw pulling 50 milliamps (.050 amps) it will last about 1600 hours (66 days).

 

[rcarpen22]

I picked my truck up this week. It was built end of April. I checked and it has no alternator. I always carry a jump box, but really curious why some have one and some don't. I do plan to do a lot of off-roading/camping, but will not be adding a lot of crazy accessories like light bars or refrigerator or anything power intensive.

 

[beardevil]

Alternator will not solve the problem of a dead battery on a hybrid. The hybrid already has a far more advanced charging system. There may be some odd cases off-roading with all kinds of lights on, stereo on, heater fan running, defroster on all while you are at crawling slow speed drawing the HV battery very low to the point where it cannot charge your 12VDC system. I can see this happening for diehard off-roaders on a rare occasion. I think Toyota is just covering those bases.

However the daily highway driver should never have any issues charging unless there is a major component failure just like you would have with a failed alternator.

If you think you vehicle battery is being drawn down by some parasitic load. Take a multi-meter set to milliamps, remove the negative battery cable and place one lead from the meter on the negative battery terminal and the other on the negative cable. This will tell you if you have a problem with a cell modem or other device drawing down your battery.

Taco has a 80 AH battery. If you have a parasitic draw pulling 50 milliamps (.050 amps) it will last about 1600 hours (66 days).

I can tell you I am having charging issues without the extreme conditions you mention. I have had it checked twice for a parasitic draw and they found nothing. I had a new battery installed yesterday. It was charging great on my drive yesterday at around 14 today when I drove the truck it was charging around 10

 

[Lennyz1]

I can tell you I am having charging issues without the extreme conditions you mention. I have had it checked twice for a parasitic draw and they found nothing. I had a new battery installed yesterday. It was charging great on my drive yesterday at around 14 today when I drove the truck it was charging around 10

Wow, there is definitely a problem there. Sounds like there is a blown fuse or the DC to DC convertor has failed completely.

 

[OGBugsy]

’25 trd off-road premium bought last week. 3 aux switches and no alternator. No battery problems as of yet, but I’ll be watching. Thanks for the great info!

 

[JimScotty0]

I don't drive every week, and I have 3x in the last 2 months found a dead battery with around 2.7v. I charged it with a regular charger to get it to around 12.6v and then it started and ran fine after that. That cheap basic charger never really said it was full even after 2 days of charging. Today I got a new "YONHAN Battery Charger 0-20A 12V/24V LiFePO4 Lead Acid Fully Automatic Battery Maintainer, Car Battery Trickle Charger Automotive w/Battery Repair, Winter Mode, for AGM, STD, Gel, Deep Cycle Batteries" and I used in the AGM mode. This charger was on sale for $42.33 and highly rated so got it and I ran it for a few hours this afternoon. It did complete in AGM mode in a couple of hours.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082G1N2T

After doing much research for the best battery for my 2024 Pro, I think this Optima is the best out there for my truck. I will see if my current battery discharges again, and if it does, I will take it to the dealer. I looks like the Optima is a Clarios made battery.

Great information here: https://www.optimabatteries.com/support

If anyone has any comments on the proper battery, or if they have a better or different suggestion, please comment.
https://www.optimabatteries.com/products/yellowtop-dh7

This is my original battery which is listed as a Clarios 380LN3-MF.

 

[TacoFreak]

My truck doesn't keep the 12v fully charged either, but so far it always starts. If the dealer doesn't replace the battery I will get an Optima. I have used them in the past and they are great. A yellow top will handle getting discharged better than a lot of other batteries on the market, and will last longer too.

 

[EVOTACO]

I don't drive every week, and I have 3x in the last 2 months found a dead battery with around 2.7v. I charged it with a regular charger to get it to around 12.6v and then it started and ran fine after that. That cheap basic charger never really said it was full even after 2 days of charging. Today I got a new "YONHAN Battery Charger 0-20A 12V/24V LiFePO4 Lead Acid Fully Automatic Battery Maintainer, Car Battery Trickle Charger Automotive w/Battery Repair, Winter Mode, for AGM, STD, Gel, Deep Cycle Batteries" and I used in the AGM mode. This charger was on sale for $42.33 and highly rated so got it and I ran it for a few hours this afternoon. It did complete in AGM mode in a couple of hours.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082G1N2T

After doing much research for the best battery for my 2024 Pro, I think this Optima is the best out there for my truck. I will see if my current battery discharges again, and if it does, I will take it to the dealer. I looks like the Optima is a Clarios made battery.

Great information here: https://www.optimabatteries.com/support

If anyone has any comments on the proper battery, or if they have a better or different suggestion, please comment.
https://www.optimabatteries.com/products/yellowtop-dh7

This is my original battery which is listed as a Clarios 380LN3-MF.

I'll be looking at going to an Optima, when the time eventually comes to do so, but I was looking at using the Yellowtop DH6 as the replacement. The Optima site shows the DH7 for both hybrid and non-hybrid models, but the dimensions for the DH6 are more similar to the 380LN3. I think the DH7 may be too long.

 

[JimScotty0]

I'll be looking at going to an Optima, when the time eventually comes to do so, but I was looking at using the Yellowtop DH6 as the replacement. The Optima site shows the DH7 for both hybrid and non-hybrid models, but the dimensions for the DH6 are more similar to the 380LN3. I think the DH7 may be too long.

I was wondering the same thing. Before making a purchase I would make actual measurements of my current OEM battery and area to be sure it would fit. Since they do work with Toyota directly, I would hope they would know all there is to know, but I would check first to be sure. These things are quite heavy and not easy to return.

 

[Bcphoto3]

So my late season 24 TH doesnt have an alternator..Maybe something they corrected in the 25 models? And leave those of us with 24 models hanging?

 

[crepr12]

My 25 doesn't have one

 

[TacoFreak]

@Bcphoto3 None of the 2024 hybrids had alternators and only the trims with 4 AUX switches got one in 2025. Exactly what that means to those of us without an alternator is hard to say, and Toyota is not talking about it.

My 2024 Pro does not do a good job of charging its 12v battery, although it has always started, even when it was only 40% charged. I got tired of worrying about it and I bought a jump pack to make sure my truck will be ready to go when I am. I will see what my dealer has to say about this when I take it in for service, but so far most seem to be saying it is either normal, or that it is a bad battery.

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