2016 Toyota Prius - no evidence of steering assistance?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by chrisgagne, Apr 18, 2021.

  1. chrisgagne

    chrisgagne Junior Member

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    Hi all,

    I have a 2016 Prius. I believe it is a VW50 engine based on the 12V battery replacement I just had.

    I bought it second-hand from a Toyota dealer in June 2020 and it has a couple months of Toyota used vehicle warranty left.

    Over the last ~10 months, I've driven the car ~13K miles all over on rural and city roads. Not once in the entire time I owned it did I notice even the slightest tug back into the lane. Further, there was some time where the wheel alignment was off, so it would not go straight on its own. Despite a slight bias towards one direction, the car would happily let me go off the road despite all of the lane departure alerts going off. I am certain that the steering assistance is turned on and set to high sensitivity.

    I am comparing this to a ~2019 model year Camry or Corolla I rented whose steering assistance was obviously present. There was notable, unambiguous feedback in the wheel that made me think "Wow! That's what autonomous cars could be like!" If I even relaxed my grip it would tell me to hold on to the steering wheel. I've only gotten that warning a couple of times in my Prius.

    Is my steering assistance broken, or is it literally so weak as to not even be remotely noticeable when it is supposedly active?

    To the best of my knowledge the system is on. I get beeps when I start to exit the lane, just no feedback on the wheel or any other sort of automatic intervention from the car to get me back in the lane.

    IMG_6193.jpg IMG_6191.jpg IMG_6192.jpg
     
    #1 chrisgagne, Apr 18, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2021
  2. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Is it maybe turned OFF? Does it BEEP to indicate that you've crossed or gone close to a line? The assistance isn't strong, but it's there.
     
    #2 alanclarkeau, Apr 18, 2021
  3. chrisgagne

    chrisgagne Junior Member

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    Just added some photos above. It appears to be turned on. It does beep when I cross or get close to a line, but no semblance of assistance. If the feature is working as intended, I'd say it's so weak to the point of being undetectable to the extent of being meaningless in operation. Certainly nothing compared to the newer (2018/2019?) Toyota I drove.
     
    #3 chrisgagne, Apr 18, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2021
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The Camry and Corolla have Lane Trace Assist, a more advanced version.

    The Prius only has LDA with steering assist. This only nudges you back when you've crossed the line (or occasionally when you're near). You'll know it's working when the wheel moves and there's a green steering wheel light on the dash. It is NOT a lane-centering feature. (like LKA or Honda's LKAS)
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Apr 19, 2021
  5. chrisgagne

    chrisgagne Junior Member

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    Thanks! Thing is, I’ve never felt the wheel move for me when I’ve crossed the line (easy to do on the windy roads here when you’re first learning how to drive on the other side of the road). Going on a straight road with a leftward bias caused by former wheel alignment (fixed since), it would have let me run off the road, despite the LDA warning going off. That should have been an easy test case, but no dice?
     
    #5 chrisgagne, Apr 19, 2021
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    are the sensors clean?
     
    #6 bisco, Apr 19, 2021
  7. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    In our '16, the LDA is very subtle, just a small nudge when the warning goes off. It definitely does not steer you back into the lane, just provides a quick little hint of feedback in the steering wheel. Perhaps you are holding the wheel too tightly to feel it.
     
    #7 FuelMiser, Apr 19, 2021
  8. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Hmm, yes that should be an easy test. Are the painted lines clearly visible? (Not faded or broken). Have you tried it on a multi-lane road above 30 mph? It could be the road surface that the camera is having trouble detecting.
     
    #8 Tideland Prius, Apr 19, 2021
  9. MIkeDr

    MIkeDr Active Member

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    FWIW, we had a car that centered you in the lane, and it’s one of the first things I turned off. On the highway, in the right lane I prefer to stay closer to the right line, and in the last lane prefer to stay closer to the left line.
     
    #9 MIkeDr, Apr 19, 2021
  10. AzWxGuy

    AzWxGuy Weather Guy

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    Must be differences from year to year in Gen IV. My steering assist would gladly drive the car if it weren't for that Hands On Steering Wheel warning you get 10 seconds after letting go. It could probably even negotiate slight curves in the road. I discuss my encounters with the Lane Tracing Assist feature here. I keep it turned off.
     
    #10 AzWxGuy, Apr 20, 2021
  11. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    It really is that weak. I've played with mine to see if I could feel it. I think I imagined feeling it once or twice. I just leave it off since I only cross the lines when I want to and the beep annoys me. But I'll turn it on for really long drives in case I get drowsy.

    Yes, quite a difference. Safety Sense 2.0 does a bunch of stuff the older ones don't do.
     
    #11 jerrymildred, Apr 20, 2021
    Tideland Prius and AzWxGuy like this.
  12. roadwarrior28

    roadwarrior28 Member

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    When a lane departure alert is triggered, do you see the green steering wheel icon on the dash? When that light is illuminated (usually for a second or two) it is indicating that the steering assist is active.

    I have a 2016 and agree with the others that it is incredibly subtle. Like something very gently nudging you back in your lane. I do notice it though
     
    #12 roadwarrior28, May 5, 2021
  13. Valiant V

    Valiant V Member

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    I would say the same about our 2017 Prius.

    I think I felt it once or twice - not much.

    My only encounter with a similar system was on a Hyundai Veloster that I rented. It wasn't so authoritative as a "lane centering" system, but it did give you a stronger "nudge" in the right direction - as well as griping at you if your grip on the wheel was too light.
     
    #13 Valiant V, May 21, 2021
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