Toyota Safety Sense 2.0: What It Is And Why You Need It

Marie A
Nov 29, 2020

If you’re looking to buy a 2018 or newer Toyota, you can count on it having the Safety Sense 2.0 suite. This full range of safety equipment helps protect you and your passengers, giving you full confidence while out on the road.

2020 Toyota Corolla - Photo by Toyota

What is Toyota Safety Sense 2.0? 

As the newest version of their popular safety package, Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 offers true peace of mind and protection on all your travels. With its technology on your side, crash avoidance is the name of the game, thanks to six driver assistance systems.

This innovative safety package comes standard on most new Toyotas, including the 2020 Toyota Corolla. To see what it comes with, simply browse through this guide to learn all you need to know. By the end, you’ll likely see why everyone is raving about Safety Sense 2.0.

A Look at the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 Suite

Using a camera and radar, the full Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 suite has six high-tech systems that help drivers avoid collisions and stay in full control of their vehicle. Here’s a look at what each of these technologies do.

Pre-Collision System

The pre-collision system carefully watches just ahead of the vehicle for any obstructions in your path. It has several different systems in play that scan for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.

If it notices anything in your route, the system will issue a sharp audio warning and illuminate a light on the dash. You only have a short period of time to respond before it applies the brakes for you.

If you do act fast enough and hit the brakes, the system may activate brake assist to give you even more stopping power. Either way, the system can help prevent you from colliding with the car, bike, or person just ahead.

Lane Departure Alert

The camera equipment at the front of the car also watches your position in the lane for the Lane Departure Alert feature. As long as it can see the edges of the road or markings on the road, the system will help make sure you stay in your lane.

2020 Toyota Corolla - Photo by Toyota

This system works best on straight roads and doesn’t make any automatic adjustments for you. Instead, it signals the lane departure using the dash lights and by playing an audio warning.

Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control

When you set regular cruise control systems, your vehicle will maintain the set speed no matter what lies ahead. That’s not so with Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, which uses the camera and radar to gauge your distance from the vehicle ahead of you.

Upon detecting a vehicle in your lane, it makes an immediate adjustment to your speed. You can then follow behind the car in front of you without having to take back control of the throttle.

Once the lead car moves out of the way, the cruise control system will accelerate back up to speed without any additional input from you. It will even stop your vehicle and follow at low speeds as needed to stay a set distance away.

The full speed version works from 0 to 110 mph and is only available on cars with automatic gearboxes. If you have a manual, you’ll get the base Dynamic Radar Cruise Control instead, which works from 15 to 110 mph.

Lane Tracing Assist

Operating in tandem with the cruise control system is Lane Tracing Assist. This safety feature not only watches your position in the lane but also makes steering adjustments for you as needed to keep the vehicle in the right position.

Although you need to keep your hands on the wheel the whole time, it doesn’t need any input from you to stay the course. You just have to watch the road ahead as the vehicle automatically adjusts its speed and position.

Automatic High Beams

If you’ve ever struggled to figure out the right moment to flip on your high beams, you’ll love the Automatic High Beam system. This safety feature uses cameras to check for headlights and taillights from other vehicles.

Upon detecting that you’re in the clear, it will turn the high beams on, so you can see much better. If vehicles come into the picture, the system switches to low beams until they are a safe distance away.

Road Sign Assist

Road Sign Assist is a neat safety feature that helps you avoid missing important road signs. The cameras constantly watch for any signs along the route, and then post them on the Multi-Information Display for your review.

With this system on your side, you never again have to wonder just what the sign said. You can just look at the display on your dash to see the speed limit or other warnings.

With this suite installed, many Toyota vehicles have earned the 2019 Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), including the Corolla, Highlander, and Prius.

Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 Questions People Also Ask:

When Did Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 Come out?

Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 came out just in time to land on many 2018 models, like the Corolla and RAV4. This next generation system is the newest version of the Safety Sense suite, which originally arrived on the scene in 2015.

Does Toyota Safety Sense Stop the Car?

The Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 suite issues a visual and audio warning upon detecting an obstruction ahead. If you do not respond in a timely manner, it will automatically activate the brakes and could end up completely stopping the car to prevent a collision.

Which is Better: Honda Sensing or Toyota Safety Sense?

Since it can detect vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians, the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 suite is leagues ahead of Honda Sensing. Other than that, these systems offer many of the same features.

What Toyotas Have Safety Sense?

Safety Sense 2.0 is available on 2018 and newer vehicles. In 2019, they made it a standard feature on their majority of their lineup, including the Corolla and Highlander. Toyotas made from 2015 to 2017 may come with the original Safety Sense system instead.

How Does Toyota Safety Sense Work?

The Toyota Safety Sense system harnesses the power of camera and radar equipment to watch the road ahead. If it detects any problems, the system will let you know and potentially make adjustments on the fly to prevent an accident from occurring.

Photos: Toyota

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