If your Trac Off light suddenly comes on , here’s what to do.
Firstly , what is Trac Off Light?
TRAC means Traction Control on Toyota models. Scan to check to see that your ABS sensors are connected and working properly as well as your ABS pump.
How It Works
Traction control helps limit tyre slip during acceleration on slippery or wet surfaces to prevent the drive wheels from spinning uncontrollably without grip.
Most modern cars have electronic controls built into the drive train to limit power delivery for the driver in event of the vehicle slipping or sliding and losing control of its direction of travel. The Traction Control device steps in to assist the driver in eliminating wheel spin during acceleration and may also helps the driver brake under its control.
Powerful older rear or front wheel drive cars often had a primitive form of traction control called a Limited Slip Differential (LSD).
A limited-slip rear axle will mechanically transfer power to the rear wheel with the most traction, helping to reduce, but not eliminate wheel spin. While limited-slip rear axles are still in use in many front- and rear-drive vehicles today, the device can’t completely eliminate wheel spin. Hence, a more sophisticated system was needed.
In modern vehicles, traction control systems utilize the same wheel-speed sensors employed by the Antilock Braking System (ABS) but with its own dedicated control module.
These sensors measure differences in rotational speed to determine if the wheels that are receiving power have lost traction. When the traction-control system determines that one wheel is spinning more quickly than the others, it automatically “pumps” the brake to that wheel via the ABS pump to reduce its speed and lessen wheel slip. In most cases, individual wheel braking is enough to control wheel slip. However, some traction-control systems also reduce engine power to the slipping wheels. On a few of these vehicles, drivers may feel pulsations of the accelerator pedal when the system is reducing engine power much like a brake pedal pulsates when the antilock braking system is working.
Many people mistakenly believe that traction control when switched on, would give the vehicle more grip on the road.
Traction control does not have the ability to increase traction. It just helps to prevent a vehicle’s wheels from spinning.
For drivers who routinely drive in muddy roads, snowy and icy conditions, traction control, antilock brakes are must-have safety features.
