How Do Traction Control (TRAC) and A-TRAC Work?
You’re ready to head toward the mountain on your next adventure, but you’re not sure if your vehicle is equipped to drive safely in snowy or slippery road conditions. Fortunately, Toyota offers certain safety features such as Traction Control that provide assistance when necessary.
But what exactly is traction control? This feature comes standard in Toyota’s Star Safety System, and some 4-wheel-drive Toyota vehicles come equipped with “A-TRAC” or Active Traction Control. Traction Control provides assistance when wheel slippage is detected, helping you accelerate safely and efficiently in slippery conditions.
How does TRAC work?
Your vehicle’s TRAC system works by constantly monitoring the tires, and when they begin to slip, the TRAC system provides extra traction and grip that is necessary to accelerate safely and efficiently on slippery or wet surfaces. The system does this by either applying the brakes or slowing down the engine in order to maintain contact between the tires and the road. This feature is standard on all Toyota vehicles with the exception of the Yaris iA.
What is A-TRAC?
So, you love off-roading and you love your Toyota – so why not use your all-wheel-drive the way it was designed to be used? A-TRAC stands for “Active Traction Control” and comes standard on some of Toyota’s 4-wheel-drive models.
While you have to manually turn this feature on and off, once it is on, it automatically detects wheel spin and distributes torque between front and rear wheels to suppress unnecessary wheel spin and control skidding. A-TRAC detects when one or more wheels have lost traction and automatically applies the brakes to the wheel with no traction, allowing it to send power to the wheel with traction.
In order to activate A-TRAC, you must first put your vehicle in neutral, shift into 4LO and press the “A-TRAC” button.
What happens when A-TRAC is off?
Chances are, you’ve either been in a vehicle, or seen a vehicle, that has had trouble accelerating from a stop in certain driving conditions. A-TRAC is essentially a more heavy-duty version of the standard traction control system and was designed with off-roading in mind. When A-TRAC is turned off, your vehicle may have a harder time adapting to off-road conditions, and you will most likely experience more wheel spin than when A-TRAC is activated.
What vehicles come equipped with A-TRAC?
While the A-TRAC system isn’t available on every 4-wheel-drive Toyota, it is available on some. If you’re someone who enjoys the outdoors, off-roading and getting your Toyota dirty, you may want to invest in a vehicle that comes equipped with A-TRAC.
Here is a list of all vehicles that come equipped with A-TRAC.
-Tacoma TRD Off-Road V6 4WD Double Cab Short Bed
-Tacoma TRD Pro Double Cab Short Bed
-4Runner SR5 4×4
-4Runner SR5 Premium 4×4
-4Runner Limited 4×4
-4Runner TRD Off-Road 4×4
-4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium 4×4
-4Runner TRD Pro 4×4
-Land Cruiser AT
20 comment(s) so far on How Do Traction Control (TRAC) and A-TRAC Work?
Does leaving the traction on while in 2 wheel drive adversely affective drive train or cause abnormal wear on the drive train???
No. Traction Control is a safety system connected to the brakes, not the powertrain (although it can electronically reduce power to the engine.) In most Toyotas, TRAC is on by default. Great question Steve!
What happens if I put A Trac in motion? Please advise after that which parts of the 4 Runner should be check
Your vehicle shouldn’t allow you to engage A-TRAC when it’s unsafe for the vehicle. A-TRAC is part of the braking system, not the power train, so there shouldn’t be any ill effects from using it. It’s different than, say, being in 4WD-LOW range on dry pavement which would cause serious damage to your drive train. If you’ve noticed anything different about the braking system after using A-TRAC, have your Toyota technician check it out.
Is there a way to truly turn off traction control? I have a 3” leveling kit and run 275-70-R-17 tires and my Tacoma will grab the left front or right front brake accelerating on curvy mount roads. It almost feels like one of the front tires is coming off.
Hi, Scott! What model year is your Tacoma? In newer models, there is a button near the sunglasses compartment to deactivate Traction Control. The icon looks like a vehicle with swerving marks near the tires. Once your Tacoma is in neutral, press and hold this button and it should turn off traction control. Hopefully this helps, but feel free to reach out with any further questions!
How do I know that The a track is on? Nothing happens when I push the button.
Thank you guys this was cool easy to understand and very informational.
The first time i used A-TRAC since I bought toyota 4runner 2019, today Apr 24 2021. I put the vehicle in neutral, shift into 4LO and press the “A-TRAC” button. The A-TRAC light was on but the 4runner was going no where, pressing more gas/power but stand still only. Is that normal?
Brother,
Please advise on the procedure on how to switch off TRC. on landcruiser V8-VDJ, VDftv model.
there seem to be no acecelation and power when driving uphill. Thank you.
A-TRAC is on others like the Toyota FJ.
Do u step on the gas pedal while using Atrac or dose the car roll by itself without stepping on gas pedal
A-TRAC detects when one or more wheels have lost traction and automatically applies the brakes to the wheel with no traction, allowing it to send power to the wheel with traction. In order to activate A-TRAC, you must first put your vehicle in neutral, shift into 4LO and press the “A-TRAC” button. So yes, depending on the situation you are in, you will likely need to use gas. Hope that helps!
If I’m interested in a particular 4runner model, how can I find out whether or not it has A TRAC? Do I understand correctly that it will have TRAC unless it has A TRAC?
Great question! You can check to see which trims include this feature under the “mechanical/performance” specs listed on the vehicle page. Hope that helps!
cool
OK, the ATRAC discussion is pretty confusing. On one hand, you state that A-TRAC is always on. Then, you talk about having to stop, shift to neutral, 4WD-Lo, and then turn it on…which is it?
To follow on the previous comment, I have a 2021 Tacoma Access Cab with manual transmission.
Can you put this on a Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road 2×4?
My trac is automatic on my 2015 tacoma 4×4 off road. Right now I have dash light on. Checked light means trac sensor is not working, right rear. Does anyone know is right rear speed sensor is the same thing ?