ChiltonLibrary Updates with the World’s Bestselling Brand

|By Chilton Staff|

Toyota was the world’s bestselling car brand in 2025ⁱ and there are tens of millions of Toyota, Lexus, and Scion vehicles currently on the road in the U.S. All of them will require maintenance and repairs at some point. Recently, ChiltonLibrary updated its automotive knowledgebase with data direct from Toyota Motor Company. Covering more than 400 Toyota, Lexus, and Scion vehicles, the update spans 13 model years, from 2014 to 2026.

Today’s sophisticated vehicles require original equipment manufacturer (OEM) service information for proper maintenance and repair. ChiltonLibrary’s latest update allows library communities to keep pace with Toyota’s newest technology.

Toyota’s new drivetrain technologies

Developing new technology is clearly a priority for Toyota. According to the company, it spends 1 million dollars per hour globally on research and development^,ii securing more patents than any other automotive company for the past 11 years.ⁱⁱⁱ Solving problems drivers face guides innovation at Toyota and creates an ongoing flow of new and updated systems.

For example, at this time of year, winter weather highlights the importance of drivetrain technologies. Most drivers have felt wheels slipping while driving on icy roads or when hydroplaning in heavy rain. Whether wrangling mud, snow, and ice or off-roading in the southwest, it’s drivetrain technologies that move a vehicle, all while preventing loss of vehicle control—to the extent possible.

What’s a drivetrain?

The drivetrain conducts the energy of the motor to the wheels. The motor creates power, but the vehicle wouldn’t be able to move an inch without the drivetrain. Typical drivetrain components include drive shafts, axle shafts, universal and constant-velocity joints, the transmission, and, when equipped with four-wheel drive (4WD), a differential and transfer case.

It’s the drivetrain that allows the driver to maintain control of the vehicle, whether driving in ideal conditions on dry pavement, in hazardous weather conditions, or on rough terrain. New Toyota drivetrain technologies include features to improve traction for its 4WD and all-wheel drive (AWD) systems.

Toyota 4-wheel drive

Four-wheel drive is important in off-roading circles and designed for tough conditions. Toyota’s newest part-time and full-time 4WD systems improve grip with advances like active traction control (A-TRAC). When A-TRAC detects a slipping wheel, it applies the brake to that wheel, while giving power to the other wheels that have traction.

Though most drivetrain technologies improve grip, in some situations there can be too much traction. A 4WD system can bind when turning on dry pavement. To address that concern, Toyota’s full-time 4WD’s torque-sensing (Torsen) differential manages the front and rear axles’ traction at every turn to eliminate binding.

ChiltonLibrary includes troubleshooting, such as this excerpt from the driveshaft inspection procedure for the 2026 Lexus TX350.

When there is no driveline

For more than a century, the drivetrain has been essential to move the vehicle. If you think of a drivetrain as a train, with the engine in the lead and the drivetrain components following, there are a lot of mechanical components needed to move the wheels. The “driveline” is the part of the drivetrain after the transmission.

With a fully electric vehicle, there is no engine and no transmission, and Toyota’s electric AWD takes it one step further by eliminating the mechanical driveline entirely.

Electrified AWD

Toyota’s electric AWD achieves traction without any mechanical connection between the front and rear wheels. If a wheel slips, the system applies braking or power as needed. Drivetrain systems monitor data points like steering angle, speeds of the vehicle and of each wheel, driver’s foot pressure on the accelerator, and vehicle rotation while turning (yaw rate) to maximize traction, for instance. Some Toyota drivetrain systems switch from FWD (front-wheel drive) to AWD automatically, depending on conditions. When conditions are good, it powers only the front wheels to save energy.

Image from ChiltonLibrary of the 2026 Toyota Crown rear traction motor. Rubber seal (a), terminal (b).

Whether rear-wheel drive (RWD), FWD, 4WD, or AWD, ChiltonLibrary provides information for the maintenance, service, and repair of different Toyota drivetrain technologies.

Around every turn, automotive technology is advancing at exhilarating speeds. Keep pace with ChiltonLibrary as it rolls out its latest Scion, Lexus, and Toyota data, direct from Toyota Motor Company. Toyota’s drivetrain technologies, the hydrogen-fueled Mirai, the new Crown, and more are covered in the ChiltonLibrary automotive knowledgebase.

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ⁱ Leussink, Daniel. Edited by Jamie Freed. “Toyota retains top auto crown in 2025 with record sales,” Reuters, January 28, 2026, updated January 29, 2026. www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/toyota-retains-top-auto-crown-2025-with-record-sales-2026-01-29/

ⁱⁱ “Toyota Research and Development: A Movement of Movement,” Toyota.com, May 7, 2025.  https://www.pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-research-development-a-movement-of-movement/

ⁱⁱⁱ “Toyota Maintains Top Automotive Spot in Annual U.S. Patent Ranking,” Toyota.com, April 2, 2025. https://www.pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-maintains-top-automotive-spot-in-annual-u-s-patent-ranking/

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