The semi-active suspension system was widely used on luxury and top sport trim packages on most of Toyota's products sold internationally.
Its popularity fell after the “bubble economy” as it was seen as an unnecessary expense to purchase and maintain, and remained in use on luxury or high performance sports cars.
TEMS consisted of four shock absorbers mounted at all four wheels, and could be used in either an automatic or driver selected mode based on the installation of the system used.
As the Japanese recession of the early 1990s began to take effect, the system was seen as an unnecessary expense as buyers were less inclined to purchase products and services seen as “luxury” and more focused on basic needs.
In order to prevent “nose dive”, the process proceeds to "HARD" automatically damping force until it senses the brakes to be at the"SOFT" setting.
It suppressed the change in camber angle that occurs when the suspension is in motion, and as a result it greatly increases handling stability and grip limit while turning.
As a result, the torque steer that is noticeable in high-output front-engine, front-wheel drive vehicles equipped with LSD is reduced.
The unsprung suspension weight is heavier than the general MacPherson strut, and depending on the car model, the minimum turning radius would be increased.
Furthermore, because the effective range of motion of the short camber control arm is narrow, the amount of suspension travel is also affected.