If You Own A Toyota, You Need To Know What LTA And LKA Really Mean
If you drive a Toyota, or at least a relatively modern one, then chances are it boasts a myriad of modern safety features that are always running in the background, quietly watching your back. Two of these features, Lane Trace Assist (LTA) and Lane Keep Assist (LKA), are essential pieces of tech designed to actively keep you safer on the road. Whether activated during a long commute, weekend road trip, or while you are just slogging through rush-hour traffic, these systems are designed to reduce fatigue and cut down on accidents.
Both LTA and LKA step in when you're drifting out of your lane. They act by steering your car back into its lane and keeping it centered without you constantly having to correct the wheel. Knowing which does what, and when they kick in, can be a little confusing at first thanks to how similar they are. Yet they have different responsibilities and are separate systems.
LTA and LKA both work to keep you inside your lane
LKA is the older of the two systems, having first debuted back in 2004 as part of Toyota's Lane Departure Warning system. In cars with this feature, LKA will warn you with a beep or vibration of the wheel when you drift into another lane without signaling. If you continue drifting after the warning, the system will step in with automated corrective steering.
Introduced in 2018 as part of the Toyota Safety Sense package, LTA is newer and more sophisticated, although it is only activated when the vehicle is operating in cruise control. Instead of kicking in when you're drifting past the white lines on the road, LTA constantly works to keep you centered in your lane. It does this by relying on forward-facing cameras that can detect changes in stop-and-go traffic as well as curves in the road. Essentially, LKA reacts to mistakes, while LTA proactively keeps you centered. Both work to keep you safe and aligned on the road.
By this point in time, both of these features are fairly widespread throughout Toyota's offerings. This means, regardless of whether you're looking to purchase a wallet-friendly Corolla hatch or splash out on a Sequoia, you'll be able to benefit from at least one or both of Toyota's lane-centering safety devices.