What Does LTA Mean in Car? Explaining Toyota LTA System

In your Toyota or Lexus, LTA means Lane Tracing Assist. This is the new feature that came to substitute other warning systems for lane departure. In new Toyota vehicles, you will have the LTA activated in default settings. It will help you get warnings or even physical help whenever your car attempts to leave the current lane on the road.

There are various LTA systems in modern Toyota vehicles and, in this article, I will tell you about how they work and how exactly you should use them to stay safe. In a modern Toyota vehicle, the LTA system is part of the adaptive cruise control and works to help you achieve a safe ride on highways.

Here's what I will cover in this article:

• What's the LTA system and how it works?
• What are the different types of the LTA system in Toyota cars?
• How should you use the LTA to the maximum advantage?
• Setting and tuning off the LTA to get more flexibility.

Let's get started!

What is the LTA system doing in your Toyota?

Toyota keeps improving the cars the company offers on the market. One of the add-ons in the recent model years is the LTA system. Given you may be puzzled by all those numerous abbreviations and names of functions, I decided to concentrate exactly on the LTA system in this article.

So, LTA stands for Lane Tracing Assist. This is the system that helps you get notified when your car is about to leave the current lane unintentionally. Also, the modern LTA system can control your steering wheel and help you keep the car within the lane. Of course, it won't interfere when you wish to change the lane.

Here's how the system works:

• the front camera is used to track the current lane - it will work when the camera is clean and the lanes are marked by bright yellow lines;
• also, the system uses the front radar sensor and includes its readings in its operation to know the distance to other cars;
• the system controls the steering wheel and can steer the car back into the lane if needed;
• potentially, it can steer the car automatically if the road has properly marked lanes;
• it works together with the cruise control that can see other cars on the road and keep distance from them;
• it means you are basically getting the autopilot with reduced functions in your new Toyota vehicles;
• the LTA will not work if you let the steering wheel go and will try to have a nap - it will warn you with several types of warnings.

The standard scenario of LTA warning is when you see the error message on your screen warning that your car is about to leave the lane. It is accompanied by a beep. Also, your steering wheel may vibrate when something is not in order. The third stage of warning may be the punch - the Toyota will apply brakes quickly one time to make sure you are not sleeping.

The LTA is connected with the system that detects the driver's fatigue. That's why the Lane Tracing Assist should be set when you get a cup-of-coffee warning light too often in your vehicle. If you adjust the sensitivity of the LTA measurements, it will stop showing you this cup all the time.

Different types and generations of the LTA in Toyota cars

Well, the functions of the LTA may depend on the year and trim of your car. Cheaper versions will obviously have limited functions of the LTA. It will only warn you that something is wrong but will not steer the car however hard you ask it. But in more expensive vehicles that are equipped with adaptive cruise control and all other cool features, the LTA will open its functions to the full.

Before 2017, in most Toyota vehicles, there was a lane departure warning system that only warned you the car was going to depart from its current lane. The system was rather primitive and many drivers turned it off because it wasn't very helpful.

After 2017, Toyota vehicles got the LTA system as part of its safety equipment. Now, the system is really much smarter and more helpful. It can basically steer your car but will require your attention, too. Getting to the back seat and having a nice sleep is not an option yet while driving on the highway.

How to use the LTA system - Toyota recommends

First of all, your LTA will only work when the lane marks are good and visible. Also, it will only work when the front camera is clean and not covered with anything. Another important thing is that the LDA should be on (you may have the switch on the steering wheel or need to turn it on in the settings of the trip computer on your dash).

The DRCC should also be activated so that you get the maximum out of this function. The DRCC or Dynamic Radar Cruise Control helps you turn on the assists that will steer the car, and accelerate or decelerate it according to the road conditions.

So, the LTA system will not work and will even throw a failure message when one of these things is true:

• the front camera is dirty or covered by something;
• the front radar sensor is blocked or covered with dirt;
• the lane marks are not white or aren't bright enough to be seen on camera;
• the LDA is deactivated - there is no LDA indicator on the dash;
• the DRCC is deactivated - there is no DRCC indicator on the dash;
• the LTA is deactivated through the settings in your trip computer.

Make sure that all of these factors don't disturb the work of the LTA and then start using this feature. This will be one of the revolutionary things you do in your Toyota. Surprisingly, many Toyota owners just don't know they have this kind of feature in their vehicles. So, explore the menu and see if your trim has this opportunity.

Of course, using all these features (LTA, LDA, and DRCC) is only good on highways. If you are driving in the city, these features will only disturb you. Also, if there are a lot of cars on the highway and you need to jump from one lane to another every other minute, the LTA system is not the best helper in such a situation.

How can you set the LTA system in your Toyota?

It's quite easy and you may turn it off, on, or also set the sensitivity of the sensors. Here's what exactly you need to do:

• press the left or right arrow on the left part of the steering wheel;
• choose Settings and find the LTA section in the settings;
• press OK to enter the LTA menu in your vehicle;
• turn on Lane Center if you want the car to automatically keep in the center of the chosen lane;
• turn on Steering Assist if you want the LTA to help you steer the car;
• change the sensitivity of the sensor if you need to;
• turn on the Sway Warning if you want to get the warning every time the car acts weirdly in the chosen lane.

Also, you may quickly turn off the LTA feature when you are on the road. For this, you will need to do one of the following actions:

• press the LDA button on the right side of the steering wheel - this will disable the LDA and the LTA will be turned off automatically;
• press the brake pedal - this will deactivate all the automatic features and you will get full control over the system;
• press the cruise control on/off button - this is the right button on the right side of the steering wheel, this will deactivate the DRCC;
• press the "Cancel" button - this will clear all the settings of the DRCC and the LTA will stop working, too.

So, it's quite easy to use the Lane Tracing Assist. If you like how it works, keep it always on in the Settings of your Toyota. It will not work unless the LDA and the DRCC are on. But once you turn on those features, it will start working automatically. Then, you can easily deactivate it by turning off the cruise control.

Some things to consider in the LTA system

Toyota warns its clients that they shouldn't rely fully on the cruise control and LTA system. Even though they resemble the work of autopilot, they are very dependent on many factors. So, you should always keep your hands on the steering wheel and your foot near the brake pedal.

Here are just some examples of what may happen:

• the camera may get dirty because of road debris, some mud, or snow;
• the radar sensor may be blocked unexpectedly by snow;
• the lane marking may suddenly become invisible to the camera;
• some other sensors that take part in the cruise control system, may malfunction.

If something of these happens, your Toyota will throw an error and the LTA will most likely stop working immediately. You need to control the steering wheel to avoid accidents, in this case.