Camry DPL 2011: Safety

The new Toyota Camry is equipped with the technically advanced range of active and passive safety features befitting a prestige sedan.

Active safety features include an Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS) which swivels the low beam projector headlamps to illuminate a bend as the driver steers into it, clearance sonar to prevent minor collisions whilst manoeuvring, and a rear camera for parking assistance.

The Camry is equipped, as standard, with the full range of braking, traction control and stability systems on the market today: ABS anti-lock brakes, complete with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist, Traction Control (TRC) and an advanced Vehicle Stability Control system (VSC).

Within a highly rigid bodyshell designed to offer maximum occupant protection, passive safety features incorporate a comprehensive range of 9 airbags, including segment-first rear seat side airbags, and Whiplash Injury Lessening (WIL) front seats which reduce whiplash injuries during rear end collisions.

Active Safety

Adaptive Front Lighting 

The new Camry is equipped with an Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS). Calculating where the vehicle will be in three seconds time according to steering operation and vehicle speed, the system swivels the low beam projector headlamps in response to steering input, helping to illuminate a bend as the driver steers into it.

At low vehicle speeds (between 10 and 30 km/h) the swivel range of the lamps has been increased from 2.7 to 3.7 metres at a range of 10 metres, substantially increasing the illuminated area at road junctions and intersections. At speeds over 30 km/h, long range visibility is enhanced by swivelling the area of illumination from the outside to the inside of the bend.

AFS is also equipped with a dynamic levelling function, which automatically maintains a constant beam height. The combination of these two functions achieves optimum light distribution in all driving conditions.

Clearance Sonar and Back Guide Monitor

The new Camry is equipped with both clearance sonar and a rear parking camera. Designed to prevent minor collisions whilst manoeuvring, the vehicle has a clearance sonar sensor at each corner, and an additional two sensors to the rear. They warn of approaching obstacles using both a graphic on the multi-information display, and audible driver alerts.

The back guide monitor features a video camera mounted in the rear number plate surround that projects a full colour rear view of the surroundings onto the centre console display screen.

Even greater manoeuvring accuracy is promoted by screen-generated guidelines that indicate the prospective path of the vehicle based on the current steering position, both for serial or parallel parking. In consideration of colour-blindness, the line colour has been changed from green to blue.

Braking and Stability Control Systems

The new Camry's servo assisted braking system features 296 mm ventilated front discs and 281 mm solid rear discs. The braking system incorporates a new, compact and lightweight design of brake actuator, low-expansion brake hoses and a link-type brake pedal with a reduced pedal stroke for enhanced response and feel.

The vehicle is equipped, as standard, with an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Traction Control (TRC) and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC).

EBD ensures that the most effective brake force is applied to each wheel, according to road conditions. By preventing the wheels from locking, ABS helps to maintain sure-footed stability during cornering and braking.

BA detects sudden or 'panic' braking and adds pressure if the driver fails to apply sufficient force during emergency braking.

TRC monitors and controls the amount of power that is applied to the road through the car's wheels. If the system detects that one or more wheels spins, it instantly determines the best way to restore traction to that wheel, either by decreasing the power being sent to the wheel that is about to spin or, in more extreme cases, momentarily braking the wheel until it regains traction.

VSC is designed to prevent loss of car control when entering a corner too fast or in slippery conditions which might lead to a skid. Via sensors monitoring car body yaw, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, steering angle, wheel speed and brake pressure, the system assesses vehicle stability and the proximity of either an excessive understeer or oversteer slide.

The system restores stability by automatically adjusting engine output and applying smoothly modulated braking to the appropriate wheel individually, helping the driver to restore vehicle stability.

Passive Safety

Impact Absorbing Body and Pedestrian Protection

The new Camry's impact-absorbing bodyshell features the increased use of high-tensile steel for a combination of greater rigidity and decreased weight. The flared design of numerous body panels including the wings and doors allows for a thin and lightweight design with no loss of rigidity.

The body has been designed to efficiently disperse front, side and rear collision energy, helping to reduce cabin deformation. Collision energy from the front bumper reinforcement is absorbed by the apron upper and front side members, and dispersed through the A pillars, door reinforcements and front lower pillars. Collision energy from the wheels and tyres is absorbed by the front lower pillars and rocker reinforcement.

In the case of side impact, collision energy is dispersed to three high-strength cross members in the bodyshell floor, and from the centre pillars through the rocker, rail and roof reinforcements.

The rigidity of the rail reinforcement cross-section has also been strengthened to absorb collision energy.

To the rear, bumper reinforcements and a crash box absorb the collision energy of a rear impact.

Various features have been adopted to help reduce pedestrian injuries in a collision. A longitudinal frame inner bonnet structure incorporates an energy absorbing front edge structure and a crushable cowl louver at its rear edge. And the front wings incorporate an impact absorbing installation bracket structure.

Nine SRS airbags

The new Camry may be equipped with up to nine SRS airbags driver and front passenger airbags, a driver's knee airbag, front side airbags, full-length side curtain shield airbags and segment-first rear side airbags.

3-point ELR (Emergency Locking Retractor) seatbelts

All front and rear seats feature three-point, ELR (Emergency Locking Retractor) seatbelts. The ELR is designed to lock up the seatbelt when excessive load is applied over a preset value. Driver and front passenger seatbelts further benefit from a pre-tensioner and force limiter function. During a collision, the force limiter fractionally reduces seatbelt tension to lower occupant chest impact forces.

WIL seats

The Camry is fitted with Whiplash Injury Lessening (WIL) front seats to reduce whiplash injuries during rear end collisions. Should a rear impact of sufficient velocity occur, the seat structure allows the occupant's upper body to sink backwards, matching the movement of the lower body to that of the head to reduce the risk of a whiplash injury.