Toyota to Add Two New Safety Systems for 2020

In a move to increase safety for drivers and passengers of Toyota vehicles, the automaker will add two new features to its lineup starting with most 2020MY vehicles.

The first one, called Automatic Engine Shut Off, will automatically shut off the engine after a pre-determined period of time in the event the vehicle is left running. There will also be an enhanced audible and visual warning to the Smart Key System, plus smartphone App capabilities as an added reminder.

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Currently, Toyota vehicles issue a two-step alert to notify the driver that the engine is running and requests engine to be turned off.

The second new safety feature to be rolled out from 2020 is Automatic Park. Designed to help reduce the risk of roll-away, it will automatically shift the vehicle into the “park” position and/or apply the electronic parking brake in the event the driver exits the vehicle without placing the vehicle in “park.”

The company did not specify whether Automatic Engine Shut Off and Automatic Park will be added as standard equipment to the Toyota Safety Sense suite of advanced safety systems and driver-assist features, but we imagine they will.

Using a camera and laser radar technology, Toyota Safety Sense includes a Pre-Collision System, Lane Departure Alert and Automatic High Beam in its most basic version. The latest one, called TSS 2.0 and found on the new RAV4 and Corolla models, adds Bicycle Detection, Full-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and Lane Tracing Assist, among other things.