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Modern Toyotas are jam-packed with excellent car safety features. The Toyota Safety Sense package is standard with every Toyota vehicle and includes the following six features. If you'd like to see these features working first-hand, you can always ask for a demo at your local Toyota dealership. Dynamic Radar Cruise Control While on the road, keeping a suitable distance from the vehicle ahead has never been easier. Using a windshield camera and radar hidden behind the Toyota badge on the nose of your hood, your Toyota constantly measures the distance between you and other vehicles. While cruising, it can even adjust the speed for you to keep you safely apart should the car ahead stop unexpectedly. Proactive Drive Assist The automatic gentle braking that keeps you at a safe distance from the car ahead is part of the Proactive Drive Assist feature. This feature also keeps you safe on curves of the road, providing your brakes with just enough pressure to take the curves at optimal speed. Pre-Collision System With constant computerized vigilance, your car will often detect a risk of collision long before you do. This includes any cyclists or pedestrians who wander into your path. In such an event, you'll be given a clear visual and audible warning. Should you fail to react in time, your vehicle's automatic braking will take over, promptly slowing and stopping your car as rapidly as needed. Lane Tracing Assist Long drives on the highway can become tiring, and the attention of even the best drivers can occasionally wander. In these moments, you risk drifting to the edge of your lane or even into the next one. With a modern Toyota, this risk is greatly mitigated. Lane Tracing Assist reads the lane markers and knows when you're wandering. It will alert you and can even gently steer you back onto the center of the lane. Automatic High Beams When driving at night, there's always a danger of blinding another driver if you forget to dim your headlights. A blinded driver poses a threat to themselves and also to you. But with Automatic High Beams, your car notices oncoming cars and toggles between low and high beams automatically. Road Sign Assist Toyota's intelligent cameras can even read road signs. This feature helps ensure that you never miss a road sign again. It reads stop signs, Do Not Enter signs, yield signs, and speed limit signs, and displays them clearly on your dashboard. Ask for More at Your Local Toyota Dealer There are many more features as standard, including all kinds of airbags, braking assist mechanisms, and structural features to protect you from harm in the event of a collision. For details on these and additional optional features, you can always ask at your local dealership. Visit Koons Annapolis Toyota today for a detailed explanation of all the wonderful safety features you can find on a Toyota. We've won awards for excellence and pride ourselves on the quality of our vehicles and service.

The alternator is a vital part of your car's electrical system. It's the component that produces the electricity required by all your car's devices. If your alternator fails, your battery will inevitably fail soon afterward. When you need an alternator repair in Annapolis, MD, your Toyota dealer is here to help you. We have the technicians, parts, and equipment to quickly fix any alternator problem for you. Signs You Need an Alternator Repair at Your Toyota Dealer Shorted Battery Plate A short in your battery can very easily damage a good alternator. The short will start draining battery power. When you start your engine, the alternator will kick in and produce electricity. Under normal circumstances, the alternator will charge your battery at full power for five minutes and will then switch to charging at 10% of your battery's total capacity. This allows your battery to fully charge without straining the alternator. A short in the battery, however, will register your battery at a far lower capacity than it should be. To compensate for this, and to charge the battery ASAP, your alternator will work harder than it should. Your alternator isn't designed to run at full power for long periods, as this is not necessary. Constantly producing power will overheat your alternator and damage the rectifiers. This will cause your alternator to fail. Starting Problems Your battery provides the power to initiate the crank and start your engine. Cranking the engine is the largest use of power by your battery. Normally, this isn't a problem as your alternator will quickly replenish the battery's lost power. If your alternator is weak or failing, it can't produce enough electricity for all of your cars' components. This lack of power means your battery will be weaker, as it's recharging much slower than it should. If you turn the key and your engine has to crank several times before it starts, this can be a sign of an alternator problem. The lower level of battery power, coupled with the large amount of electricity needed to start your engine, means it can take much longer to start your engine. The extra time is taken up by your battery needing time to build up power. Electrical Anomalies When an alternator is failing, it produces less electricity than your car demands. Your computer will try and balance the electricity supply and demand by allocating electricity as needed. This can lead to a situation of electrical devices suddenly failing to work, as power is withdrawn and diverted to another device. These anomalies can be anything from your radio failing to work to the dash lights going out. As other devices are switched off, more power becomes available and the electrical anomalies disappear. The more your alternator weakens, the more frequently these anomalies will appear. Driving with a weak alternator can also damage other components, including the battery and your car's computer. If you have any doubts about your alternator, call us right away at Koons Toyota Annapolis. Image courtesy of Pexels