VirtualGuy

Thanks for the advice Nev! I'll check them out.

Thanks Nev! You are correct in that the 12V battery does not crank the engine in the hybrid. I did buy that multimeter and the voltage was 11.83V - so that could well be the issue. I ended up disconnecting and reconnecting the battery and all systems reset - fixing the problem in the process! I still need to replace the battery though, as the issue will no doubt return. Research suggests that if the voltage is below 12V there are likely to be problems. The following sums up my findings, with the help of AI (I know - don't believe everything AI tells you ): - Expected 12V Battery Voltage Levels Fully charged: Around 12.6–12.8V (engine off). Healthy but not fully charged: About 12.3–12.5V. Low/weak: Below 12.0V often indicates a discharged or failing battery. Engine running (charging): 13.8–14.5V typically, as the hybrid system charges the 12V battery. At 11.83V, the battery is in the discharged/weak category. Even if it still powers accessories, hybrid vehicles like the Alphard rely heavily on the 12V battery for critical tasks such as: Booting the hybrid control computer Activating relays and contactors that connect the high-voltage system Powering sensors and ECUs before the hybrid system starts charging If the 12V battery voltage drops too low during startup or under load, the hybrid system may fail to initialize correctly, resulting in a "Check Hybrid System" warning. Cheers, Steve

Did you manage to fix this issue, @Jj 1010? I have a similar problem. The same message is appearing, i.e. 'System check. Stop in a safe place'. Also the Energy Monitor display is not showing the flow of power to and from the hybrid battery as it would normally do. Research so far has indicated this could be due to quite an array of potential issues, from dodgy fuel cap to 12v battery to hybrid battery. In my case I am thinking, hoping, it may be due to the 12v battery. I have had some recent issues with the vehicle's system failing to start, with this resulting in the vehicle going into 'immobiliser' mode. I got it going variously by leaving it a while, then using jump leads and to power things up for 5-10 minutes, and finally the AA's portable jump starter. I am about to purchase a multimeter to check the 12v battery - really hoping that this is the problem, as some others could potentially be very costly!

I've not managed to sort my issue so this is good to know. I was going to take the Alphard for a service this summer and see if I could get the problem looked at then, so thanks for this, much appreciated - it's good to have a place to start looking. Let us know how you get on.

No I haven't. I tried the fuse for the audio equipment but that didn't work. I've kind of given up for now until I get it serviced by a Toyota import specialist. Such a shame as it's such a lovely vehicle otherwise.

The problem is, I think, that the comparison being discussed is not a true bench test of fuel consumption. 200km in a single motorway journey (if that is what this is) is, of course, not comparable to a few hundred km of mixed predominantly motorway and A road driving. As most fuel inefficiency comes from pulling this heavy vehicle from a start, or braking and accelerating, then you'd expect a series of shorter journeys to use more fuel. Saying that, I am sure I've read that there is not a huge difference between the 3.5 and 2.4 on the motorway, as 2.4 has to work harder. In this case perhaps you'd expect urban driving to be the main difference, and this would be clearer still with the hybrid model.

That's hard to say as I haven't used a whole tank for just round town eco driving, which is the way I have done any non-scientific measurements previously. It would require a pretty disciplined and consistent approach to get any useful kind of reading, including avoiding motorways and faster roads. As I'm not benchmarking for Autocar I'd find this very difficult. I just feel that you can drive a lot around town relatively economically if you put your mind to it.

A not-very-scientific estimate on my 2012 Hybrid for mainly motorway / A road driving is around 26-28mpg. The hybrid really comes into its own around town where it becomes much more frugal when not succumbing to the inner boy racer, such as being tempted to switch off the 'ECO mode' when pulling away at lights or using the automatic gearbox's 'sport' mode. I find that if I drive as smoothly as I can, avoiding temptation and the disadvantage of lugging the vehicle's weight from a dead start to a decent speed in a short amount of time, I can travel around town for what seems like pittance. But it's really nice to have the option of a decent amount of power if and when that is what is required - just don't do it too often and it's reasonably economical.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll take a closer look tomorrow. But to quickly answer in the meantime, I believe I have the 18 speaker system (there is a centre dashboard speaker, i.e. far away under the windshield). Message are in English as I've changed language in the general settings menu (which I found using Google translate) - it warns that ETC is not connected, which I think is what the Japanese lady's voice would be saying if the audio had not been knocked off. My Bluetooth has been disconnected and re-connected many times - I don't think it's anything to do with this, but I will try playing with that again. The problem really does appear, on the surface, to be a setting, as the volume buttons do not show anything in the display any more - they used to work fine and increase and decrease as you pressed the buttons. I suppose if there is a blown fuse it may be clever enough to not show any values for volume and to also show the text message instead of the voice. But then, if it was that clever, why not tell me a fuse has blown?

Hello fellow Alphard people, I've had my 2012 Hybrid for a few months now and never had a problem with audio until now. We used to get the Japanese lady, one or two radio stations and, most importantly, I could play music by connecting my phone via bluetooth. However, suddenly audio has stopped - all is silent. The volume buttons on the steering wheel no longer display anything and the knob on the right hand side of the head unit doesn't do anything when pressed except toggle between an 'Audio Off' message and blank. My phone is connected and I can see the selected radio station or music tracks, but there is no sound. There is not even the old intervention from the Japanese lady when you start up - instead there is text message in her place. I have a feeling some setting or other has been changed somewhere, but for the life of me I can't find it! Anyone out there have a suggestion as to where I should look? I've managed to change the language of the head unit English (apart from most of the lower level menus) so am able to navigate top level menus, but I can't find anything that will allow me to switch audio on or off. Any suggests extremely welcome! Thanks in advance.

Could be good advice there, thanks. The estima is not right for our needs - we like the height and the generally larger vehicle.

There does seem to be a huge divergence between not just different engines / models but also between different experiences of similar specs - presumably mostly down to styles of driving. I'm currently considering a 2012 2.4 hybrid Velfire 'Executive Lounge' and have a feeling it is perhaps not going to be quite as frugal as I'd hoped. My wife is gently turning my attention to a 2015 Voxy hybrid (1.8L), which does not pique my interest in the same way the Alphard does, but it is undoubtedly more economical and, in the long run, would be more in tune with the way things are going in terms of environmental considerations and fuel prices. Decisions decisions... 🤨

Thanks Chris, that's helpful.

Wow, almost 18 months on and no response 😬. I'm interested in the same question - anyone have any information, advice, figures etc? Thanks!