What Is The Toyota Star Safety System?

Bob M
Dec 15, 2020

If you’re shopping for a used car, it’s nice to know that some automakers take safety very seriously. For example, the Toyota Star Safety System is now standard across all models and trims of Toyota vehicles.

What features does the Toyota Star Safety System include?

The Star Safety System is a suite of six advanced driver safety and assistance tools. As of 2020, the system includes Anti-Lock Brakes, Brake Assist, Electronic Brake-Force Distribution, Smart Stop Technology, Traction Control and Vehicle Stability Control.

Toyota has had its Star Safety System in place since the early 2000s, but they keep adding additional features to it as technology improves. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be looking at the Toyota Star Safety System’s tech features for the 2021 model year.

Toyota Star Safety System Features

Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)

ABS Light On The Car Dashboard

If one or more wheels start to lose traction, Toyota’s ABS feature detects it and immediately sends a pulsing signal to the affected brake(s). This continues until the wheel without traction is once again moving at the same speed as all the other wheels. It also applies brake force to the unaffected wheel to help the driver maintain control.

Brake Assist (BA)

If the Star Safety System detects a sudden braking situation, in which the driver is trying to quickly stop the vehicle to avoid a collision, it will apply extra pressure to help the driver come to a full stop. Brake Assist works in conjunction with the forward-facing cameras and sensors that are standard in modern Toyota vehicles.

Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD)

Even with Brake Assist helping to stop a Toyota vehicle, there’s still a risk of the car or truck going into a skid. EBD distributes the force that is applied to the front and back brakes to avoid this.

For example, the rear wheels are carrying less weight, since the engine is in the front of your Toyota. EBD applied less brake pressure to the rear wheels. By distributing the brake force like this, the car is much less likely to “fishtail” during a sudden stop.

Smart Stop Technology (SST)

This really is a “smart” innovation. SST allows the Star Safety System to kick in if a driver accidentally hits the gas pedal and the brake pedal at the same time. This can frequently happen if a person is “panic braking” to avoid a crash.

The Star Safety System assumes you are actually trying to stop the vehicle when you press the accelerator and the brake pedal at the same time. SST then reduces engine power automatically, to help stop the car more effectively.

Traction Control (TRAC)

Driver Pointing At Car Traction Control Button

TRAC works in conjunction with Toyota’s wheel sensors in the Anti-Lock Brake System. If the sensors detect that a wheel on one side of the car is spinning faster than its counterpart wheel on the opposite side, it means a loss of traction is occurring.

TRAC then takes two actions if needed. First, it reduces engine speed until the wheels are running at the same speed. If that doesn’t correct the problem, it kicks over to the ABS to apply the brakes to the faster wheel. This is a really great use of two systems working in conjunction to help avoid a loss of control during slick road conditions.

Vehicle Stability Control (VSC)

If you ever took Driver’s Ed, you probably remember the instruction: “Turn into the skid!” Toyota’s VSC is designed to help you avoid the skid in the first place. It utilizes sensors in both the steering wheel and the wheels to ensure that the Toyota is doing what the driver intends.

If VSC detects the beginning of a skid or loss of traction on one side, it will send a pulse to the brakes on one side of the vehicle. In some situations, this will entirely eliminate the need to “turn into the skid.”

Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 Features

The Star Safety System is standard on all Toyota models, but it’s not the only system Toyota offers. You may have noticed that the Star Safety System is mostly related to braking and traction. Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 is a separate set of features available in all models and trim versions of Toyota vehicles.

Safety Sense is a completely different suite of advanced features, many of which work in conjunction with the Star Safety System. Safety Sense 2.0 includes Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert, Automatic High Beams, Lane Tracing Assist and Road Sign Assist.

People Also Ask

When did Toyota Safety Sense become standard?

The Star Safety System has been around for almost 20 years now, but Safety Sense originated in 2015. One of Toyota’s corporate goals is to completely end all road traffic accidents. These systems are part of the reason why the IIHS named nine separate Toyota vehicles as “Top Safety Picks” in 2017.

While these systems are still in their infancy in terms of capability, some of the Star and Safety Sense innovations Toyota has today would have sounded like “science fiction” 25 years ago. If you had told someone in the 1990s that cars today would have cameras and sensors that detect pedestrians and automatically stop the vehicle, they’d have laughed at you.

Is Toyota’s Star Safety System worth it?

That’s a good question and it’s also kind of a moot point. You don’t pay anything extra for the Star Safety System or Safety Sense 2.0. These advanced safety features come standard across all models and trims of modern Toyota vehicles. Even the most stripped-down, base trim of any Toyota has all these safety features.

Which is better: Honda Sensing vs. Toyota Safety Sense?

Toyota seems to have a slight edge in its detection technology. Honda Sensing uses pre-crash safety features to avoid a rear-end collision with another vehicle. Toyota’s sensors are also scanning for and reacting to pedestrians and bicyclists.

avatar Bob M
Bob M. is an author and award-winning speaker whose TV commercials have appeared on every news network. Whenever he’s cruising in the minivan with his large family, he’s actually daydreaming about a two-seater sports car.
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