self steering

I assume you mean the car would steer itself as long as you kept a finger on the wheel?

If so, make sure you are still in Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and you have Lane Tracing Assist turned on. DRCC is selected using the steering wheel button with the word MODE underneath a little speedometer symbol(northeast of the cruise control cancel button). LTA is triggered by the button just above it marked with a little car between two dotted lines.

Lane Tracing Assist will keep the car centered in the lane, but it only operates in DRCC. Lane Keeping Alert operates all the time, but all it does is give you a beep when you start to leave the lane and bumps you back into it. If all you used was LKA, the car would just wander between the lines like a bowling ball going down the lane when the side bumpers are up. (The system would shut itself down before it got to that point, but that would be the effect if it didn't.)

But I'm guessing you just bumped the LTA button and accidentally turned it off.

 

Lol... it'd be interesting if you filed a claim for an accident and your insurance company ran across this post of yours.

 

TSS 2.0 can only do mild curves. I am guessing TSS 3.0 is better, and TSS 4.0 is even better. I don’t know if I can trust any of them with cars cutting in front of you, though.

 

• Gen 4 Prime PHEV: TSS 2.0 for 2021 and 2022 model years, TSS-P (1.0) for 2017–2020 model years
• Gen 5 HEV and PHEV: TSS 3.0

No OTA in Gen 4 or Gen 5 (except for some multimedia updates).

Gen 4 navigation information, including live traffic, is provided via HD Radio, so no subscription is required. Gen 5 probably requires a subscription for navigation, so that’s one of the several setbacks from Gen 4 to Gen 5. The Gen 5 subscription also allows you to use traffic-jam assist (hands-free driving at speeds under 25 mph), if you care.

 

Your car has TSS 3.0. The only Toyota/Lexus products currently with TSS 4.0(that I know of) are the new RAV4, the new ES, and the upcoming EV Highlander. Gokhan loves to say that 4.0 is much better than 3.0, but I don't know what he's basing that on. There hasn't been a vehicle yet that went from 3.0 to 4.0 to do a proper comparison. All TSS 4.0 vehicles were upgraded from TSS 2.5 in their previous iterations.

My gut says that 3.0 and 4.0 are very similar. Maybe so close that the average person couldn't tell the difference. I suspect Toyota made major software & some hardware improvements in 2022 to create TSS 3.0. Then Toyota redid the entire main computer hardware/OS in 2025 for a platform they call Arene. I think this forced them to port the 3.0 system over to the new main computers, and they decided the change was enough to bump up the number. But it's an open question as to how much the change actually affects the performance of the different safety systems. I don't doubt that some edge cases are improved, but the short timeline from 3.0 to 4.0 makes me doubt anything massive happened.

As for the trials/subscriptions...


There are four main subscription plans and a total of six individual subscriptions. Let's go through the individual ones first.

1. Safety Connect - This enables the button near the map lights and let's you call for help in an emergency. Might automatically do it in a major accident, but I'm not certain. If runs on a 10-year trial subscription before it needs to be renewed. Don't know how much Toyota will charge after the trial runs out. Normally it's more a problem of cellphone technology changing. The gen5 uses 4G LTE to communicate. When the time comes that cell networks no longer support 4G, that will be the end of all the connected services in the gen5(just like how the connected services in the LS400/430 no longer work because they used 2G/3G).

2. Service Connect - This allows the car to communicate with Toyota regarding the car's health. If the car has a warning light on for long enough(even washer fluid), it will communicate that to Toyota and you'll get a message suggesting you take it in. Same for regular service intervals and the like. Service Connect sends mileage info to Toyota so they know when you're coming up on your next service interval. It's not a constant update; maybe once a week or something. Also a 10-year trial subscription.

3. Remote Connect - This allows an app on your smartphone to control certain parts of your car. Door locks, remote start, lights, climate settings. This is not available as a separate subscription.

4. Drive Connect - This is your nav system. It's a 1-year trial on most trim levels. It's needed for some systems like Traffic Jam Assist.

5. Wi-Fi Connect - This allows your car to act as a Wi-Fi hotspot. I think it's a 30-day trial on most trims.

6. Integrated Streaming - This allows your radio to stream Apple Music and Amazon Music without needing your smartphone. I want to say this is a 1-year trial, but I could be wrong.


Now let's look at the plans:
1. Drive Anywhere - This is Drive Connect and Remote Connect for $15/month.
2. Music Lover - This is Integrated Streaming and Remote Connect for $15/month.
3. Premium - This is Drive Connect, Integrated Streaming, and Remote Connect for $25/month.
4. Wi-Fi Connect - This is an add-on to any of the other plans for another $25/month to AT&T(they provide the car's cell plan).


At the end of the day, what you're paying for with all these plans is your car's cellphone bill. AT&T(or other networks when roaming) don't let Toyota vehicles use their cell network for free out of the goodness of their hearts. They charge Toyota for the usage. The subscription fee is Toyota passing that charge through to you. The more data you use(the more subscriptions you have), the higher the monthly charge.

Personally, I pay for Drive Connect during the winter occasionally. And sometimes if I'm traveling to a region that I'm unfamiliar with. The winter period is so that I can have remote start during the coldest months. The reason while traveling is so that the speed limit sign on the display is more accurate(to hopefully avoid speed traps/tickets). But all the rest of the time I just use my phone for nav and music streaming.