Toyota is very proud to be the only brand that has a lineup of 5 SUV's with 5 standard safety features. This includes Toyota's exclusive Star Safety System with Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Anti-lock Brakes, Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist.

THE TOYOTA STAR SAFETY SYSTEM
If a stereo system comes standard on an SUV, shouldn't a safety system?

Introducing Toyota's Star Safety System, a combination of five safety features that comes standard with every one of Toyota's five SUVs: Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Anti-lock Brakes, Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist. All designed for one purpose: to help keep the driver in control of the vehicle at all times. Because when it comes to the well-being of you and your passengers, Toyota has raised the standard.

VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL
A fundamental part of Toyota's Star Safety System is Vehicle Stability Control, or VSC for short. VSC technology helps prevent two factors that frequently cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles: front-wheel slip and rear-wheel slip.

Front-wheel slip occurs when a vehicle's front wheels lose traction during cornering. As a result, the vehicle starts drifting towards the outside of the turn. Rear-wheel slip can also occur during cornering. When this happens, the back wheels lose traction and the vehicle begins to slide out of the lane.

If you were driving a Toyota equipped with Vehicle Stability Control, the system would be monitoring your steering angle and comparing it to the direction in which your vehicle was actually traveling. Vehicle Stability Control would detect a difference between where you're trying to go and where you're actually going, and the system would then recognize that you're about to lose traction. Vehicle Stability Control would activate and help correct the problem.

Two things happen when Vehicle Stability Control detects this loss of traction. First, engine output is reduced. Then, brake-force is applied to individual wheels as needed. This helps correct the wheel slip and helps prevent skidding.

TRACTION CONTROL
The part of Toyota's Star Safety System known as Traction Control, or TRAC for short, helps maintain traction on wet, icy, loose or uneven surfaces. Like Vehicle Stability Control, TRAC applies individual wheel brake and reduces engine output to help assist the driver with control of the vehicle.

If a vehicle without Traction Control were backing out of a driveway and encountered a mound of snow, wheelspin might occur and the vehicle could come to a stop. Now if this were a Toyota equipped with Traction Control, sensors would activate when one of the wheels had begun to slip and the system would take steps to maintain traction.

First, Traction Control would limit engine output and apply the brakes to the spinning wheel. This transfers engine torque to the wheels that still have traction allowing you to continue safely on your way.

ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM
Toyota's Star Safety System for SUVs incorporates Anti-lock Brake System technology, also known as ABS. Anti-lock Brake System helps ensure that you're able to continue steering during emergency braking situations.

Consider this scenario: A vehicle without an Anti-lock Brake System is driving behind a truck when suddenly, some cargo falls out of the truck's bed. Instinctively, the driver behind the truck does two things: swerves to avoid the fallen cargo, and jams on his brakes. Completely understandable, but without ABS, it only makes matters worse. The brakes lock up, the vehicle begins skidding and the driver struggles to keep it on the road.

The driver of a Toyota equipped with an Anti-lock Brake System could respond to this situation exactly the same way, yet remain in control of his vehicle. That's because ABS sensors would detect the possibility of the wheels locking up, and the system would prevent it.

An Anti-lock Brake System keeps the brakes from locking up by "pulsing" each wheel independently, more rapidly than would ever be humanly possible. Since the system repeatedly releases the brake pressure for fractions of a second, the wheels never stop rotating, the vehicle avoids going into a skid, and the driver retains control of the vehicle.

ELECTRONIC BRAKE-FORCE DISTRIBUTION
Electronic Brake-force Distribution is a crucial part of Toyota's Star Safety System for SUVs. Basically, Electronic Brake-force Distribution responds to driving conditions by optimizing the amount of brake-force that's sent to each wheel, even below the level of ABS operation. This helps keep you, the driver, in control of your vehicle in both normal and emergency driving conditions.

Electronic Brake-force Distribution helps maintain vehicle stability during braking. For example, let's take a vehicle without Electronic Brake-force Distribution. Let's say it's got cargo in the back and it's coming to an abrupt stop. Momentum causes the vehicle to tilt forward, reducing the available braking force of the rear tires, and causing cargo to shift forward.

A Toyota with Electronic Brake-force Distribution reapportions brake-force to each wheel, reducing forward tilt to keep the vehicle more balanced. Electronic Brake-force Distribution minimizes back-to-front tilt because it has sensors that recognize the extra load that the cargo puts on the rear axle. The Electronic Brake-force Distribution system responds to an abrupt stop by increasing brake pressure on the rear wheels, which helps keep you and your cargo safe and sound.

BRAKE ASSIST
The way Brake Assist has been designed, you'll probably never notice that it's there. But it's an essential component of Toyota's Star Safety System for SUVs. In emergency situations, Brake Assist applies additional brake pressure so you can take full advantage of the Anti-lock Brake System.

Imagine a trash can rolling out into the street, right in front of a vehicle that's not equipped with Brake Assist. The driver hits the brakes but doesn't apply enough pressure to the pedal - maybe because he only has a split second to react or simply because his seat is adjusted too far back. Either way, without Brake Assist, the vehicle may not stop in time.

Someone driving a Toyota equipped with Brake Assist can react just as hesitantly and still possibly prevent a collision. Fortunately, Brake Assist sensors detect the sudden "panic" braking, so the system applies the additional pressure needed to prevent a collision.