PCS Saved My Stupid Butt

Check other regions for different option package. I remember when I bought my 2WD Tacoma, Toyota didn't offer ABS to So Cal area. Buyer would have to goto Nor Cal area to buy one with ABS. When I bought my 14 Sienna, So Cal had only about 20% of XLE equipped with blind spot monitor while 70% of Nor Cal had the option. When I bought my Prius, The V with ATP is the least expensive of all Toyota/Lexus that had the PCS, DRCC, LKA, and parking assist. The next one up is the fully loaded HS250H at just over 50K. It did come with 1 more safety feature that was missing on the Prius and it's the Driver Attention Monitor.

 

If your S.O. wants the sun visors to include built in vanity lighting in the hybrid Camry (what ... maybe a $20 option?) , you have to order the $1500 sun roof. You gotta love the way they packaged things
.

 

So Toyota did have an eye-tracking system available on 2006-2010 Lexus models according to Wikipedia:
Driver Monitoring System, also known as Driver Attention Monitor, is a vehicle safety system first introduced by Toyota in 2006 for its and Lexus latest models. It was first offered on the GS 450h. The system's functions co-operate with the Pre-Collision System (PCS).[1] The system uses infrared sensors to monitor driver attentiveness. Specifically, the Driver Monitoring System includes a CCD camera placed on the steering column which is capable of eye tracking,[2] via infrared LED detectors.[3] If the driver is not paying attention to the road ahead and a dangerous situation is detected, the system will warn the driver by flashing lights, warning sounds. If no action is taken, the vehicle will apply the brakes (a warning alarm will sound followed by a brief automatic application of the braking system). This system is said to be the first of its kind.[2]
In 2008, the Toyota Crown system went further and can detect if the driver is becoming sleepy by monitoring the eyelids.[4]

Hello, Toyota, could I request this be offered on the next-gen Prius?
Any decent aftermarket kit for this type of function?

 

Would the pre collision camera detect a high load hanging off the back of the truck, such as a stack of 2X4's or piping? (Per what happened in the above accident)
Or would something Ike that be too small and too high for it to sense it?

Sorry if this is a dumb Q, I don't know much about this tech...

 

gGood, I can remember when you first got your car that you used PCS. Remember we almost rear ended vehicle that pulled in front of us as he entered freeway.

 

Just found link of PCS - with pedestrian avoidance

I have not seen this in the past - strange maybe Gen 4 stuff

 

LKA uses the camera on the back of the mirror. PCS uses the radar. I don't have any experience with PCS and protruding loads. It doesn't work with deer crossing your path.

 

And since PCS isn't designed to prevent an accident anyway, it doesn't really matter. If you're headed towards stopped traffic, the best it will do is hit the brakes after it has determined that there's no possible way for you to avoid an accident, so the impact is lessened. (Obviously, it's sometimes still possible to avoid an accident if the traffic in front starts moving, or you swerve - but in general it won't save you completely.)

It probably wouldn't detect a protruding load, unless it were particularly large. As noted above and in the manual, things smaller than a car (like a deer or a motorcycle) may not be detected by the radar.

And ggood/xman - maybe it just got lost in the noise somehow, but what I see in your video isn't actually the full pre-collision braking from PCS, is it? I didn't hear the characteristic beeping (or see the flashing "BRAKE!" warning on the MFD). The radar can also detect a possible collision (as opposed to an unavoidable one, which triggers PCS) and apply a greater braking force than you've asked for via the pedal. I'm not certain, but I'm also under the impression that all models will do this if they detect you very rapidly going from the gas pedal to the brake pedal. It seems to me like that might actually be what you experienced, since the driver mentioned touching the brakes lightly and having them come on strong.

 

Now that I play back video from over 4 years ago and have had my own experiences with PCS you maybe correct. I will say that the electric motor winding up the seatbelt was something I had never experienced in any other car. Seem like the brakes were definitely extra sensitive and did indeed avoid the collision. At the time of the publication of the video and up until you questioned it I was thinking PCS radar detection seem like it affected how the car reacted when the brakes were applied. I have been warned with the break flashing light and beeping that you're describing in my vehicle more than once. PCS is a cool feature! It has helped me a few times. The other option that has helped me is dynamic cruise control, a few times when changing lanes or messing around with the radio the car breaks are applied and slowed down the car and got my attention thus avoiding an accident.

 

Yeah, I've had it come close about twice - I think it was still mostly me stopping the car and not the PCS, but it sure was yelling at me and probably helped apply the brakes a bit too. I don't think I've felt the seatbelts retract though - I keep meaning to try that some time if I'm out late at night, and if I'm right that it can be done just by going from gas to brakes really quickly...

 

You are correct. There is a Brake Assist system on all Prius models that detects a panic stop, (quickly going from gas to brake) and applies much heavier brake force than what is being applied, It also tightens the seat belts. This system is separate from the PCS system. If the PCS goes off there will indeed be beeping and BRAKE will appear on the display.

 

My past PCS experience has been mild. It ranged from 3 short beeps with a flashing triangle "!" to full on beeps with "BRAKE" flashing on the dash. All were under 15mph speed difference between me and the car in front of me and under control. No brake enhancement, no seat belt pulling me back. All along, I thought that was it and was kind of disappointed until today. Today I learned some bad news about my job so I was distracted all day. I didn't get fired or demoted, just added 3 hours to my daily commute.
Today is the first time I experienced PCS at its full fury minus the auto brake. I was doing about 55mph on a slightly curved road. Didn't see any traffic in front of me when I drove by a LE training facility. Cops were Having fun at the shooting range and it distracted me. I figured no traffic in front of me that I could see. I tried to looked down the shooting range for about 2-3 seconds. As I turn my head back to the road, the PCS started beeping. The traffic had slowed to a stop at a red light. I quickly braked but didn't slam on it. The brakes kicked in in full force. ABS kicked in and the tire squealed. The seat belt pulled me back kind of hard. I looked up in the rear view to see if I was gonna get rear ended. Luckily no one was behind me. I stopped the car at 2 car lengths from the car in front of me. Everything fell to the floor. Business card landed on the passenger footwell. The best I can describe the braking is PWR mode except for Braking. Yeah, my heart was pounding but sure glad that my car had PCS or else I would have total my Prius today. I'm too scared to tell my family and my wife. It's OK they don't read this forum.

 

Just gonna bump this one up by saying I just had a close call on the way home and the PCS on my 2010 V w/ATP just saved my butt too.


I was driving home just now and I saw a huge flash of lightning out the right window. I looked over because I thought I saw it hit a building nearby, and unfortunately I took my eyes completely off the road. Of course, at the moment I did this, the car in front of me slowed to a stop in preparation to make a left turn. As I was still looking at the lightning, I heard a loud beeping from the dash. When I looked back to the dash, the MFD said "BRAKE!" and then I saw the car that was stopped in front of me. The braking component of the PCS must have been working, because as just soon as I touched the brake the car slammed to a stop. The only thing I didn't experience was the seatbelt pretensioning, so maybe it wasn't as close of a call as I thought it was.


All I know is that the PCS is an invaluable tool that probably saved me from an accident tonight. Obviously I should try to be as attentive as possible while driving, but I'm human and I make mistakes, and I'm glad that there's technology out there that can help make me (and others) as safe as possible while on the road.

 

Glad to read you're okay. The PCS seemed to work. I was under the impression that the seat belt auto cinch only is applied during full auto brake...however maybe I'm am wrong.

 

Yames, that's the worst I've experienced so far, too - mine was in heavy traffic, when the guy in front of me stopped suddenly, and I didn't realize how quickly he was stopping. I think what we both experienced was the "pre-collision brake assist" where it applies greater braking force in relation to how hard you push on the brake pedal, which only requires a "high possibility" of collision. When the collision becomes "unavoidable" it will brake on its own ("pre-collision braking") and tighten the seat belts. (It also tightens the seat belts if you make an emergency braking maneuver or lose control of the vehicle.)