Safety Connect is NOW Standard - We got 'jipped'!

[westwind77]

I heard a commercial on TV the other night, ALL 2010 Toyotas come STANDARD with the Safety Connect feature.... hmmm.... where is mine?!?! So I went to their web site and guess what?!?! YES the SR5 and all others are now STANDARD with the Safety Connect feature (according to Toyotas 'Features' tab)

Toyota 4Runner - 2010 Models: SR5, Trail, and Limited models

The following link tells more about it:

Toyota Safety Connect ? SOS - Safety and Security System Service

This is the SOS button that was standard in the Limited (not sure if optional or standard in the Trail), but it was NOT available in the SR5, but 'NOW' it is. It is like they rushed these things out and are now adding more bells and whistles to them as the months go on. I feel like demanding they install this in mine at NO charge! I have a feeling I am making an early morning call to Toyota direct and my dealership to see what can be done.

 

[dos palomas]

$139/yr? man, thats really expensive.

id rather use my cellphone and a $50 AAA membership

 

[4Funnr]

Features tab under Safety still shows it as only being standard on the LIMITED and not available on the TE or SR5.

 

[westwind77]

Features tab under Safety still shows it as only being standard on the LIMITED and not available on the TE or SR5.

Hmm... wonder what you are looking at? I pulled up 3 models, all the v6 4wd, and it is standard on the S5R & Limited, not available on the Trail. I did not use a zip code, did you?

 

[jca21]

to be honest. i would not have wanted this feature in my vehicle in the first place. some of the features are really cool, but i personally dont find it all that necessary.

the yearly costs are stupid and i know my way around a car/truck enough that should something happen short of me hydrolocking the engine i should be ok. even if some road side assistance guy did come, he wouldnt be able to deal with a hydrolocked motor on the scene anyways so i'd be calling a tow truck. of course, i do understand, that for the majority of drivers out there regardless of the make of the vehicle, knowing their way around a car is as foreign as speaking martian.

seriously. $140USD? seems like a rip off, but i do understand that to some people, piece of mind is worth the price. :hiding:

edit:

here's an example of how it'll be pitched.

Salesman: Just to let you know, toyota is now offering a new feature called "Safety Connect" on our SR5 and Limited models. This feature now comes standard on top of ALL of the other GREAT features that already exist on the 4Runner.
Buyer: Oh, that sounds wonderful. What does safety connect do?
Salesman: It keeps your car constantly tracked via gps so that in the case of an emergency such as a collision you can contact for help and when you cant, help will be sent to you!
Buyer: Wow that sounds fantastic. So is that some sort of free thing toyota is offering with all their new cars?
Salesman: Toyota's offering one year FREE subscription to the service so the buyer can enjoy using this fantastic service before purchasing annual subscriptions.
Buyer: Oh... How much does it cost a year?
Salesman: This service can be had for as low as $140USD per year!
Buyer: Wow, that kind of sounds like alot.
Salesman: Well think of it this way. $140 spread of 12 months is about $12 bux a month right?
Buyer: Yeah, that sounds about right...
Salesman: Well, $12 bux a month is $3 dollars a week right?
Buyer: Yeah.
Salesman: Well then, *big smile*, for as little as a cup of coffee per week, you can guarantee yourself piece of mind!
Buyer: Hmm, that does sound good...
Salesman: *Doesn't mention the fine print*
Buyer: Well... I guess i "could" get it then.
Salesman: FANTASTIC!

 

[westwind77]

to be honest. i would not have wanted this feature in my vehicle in the first place. some of the features are really cool, but i personally dont find it all that necessary.

seriously. $140USD? seems like a rip off, but i do understand that to some people, piece of mind is worth the price. :hiding:

Well, the nice thing is that they give you a year free, and if you do not want it after that it is OPTIONAL. People who do not want to renew do not have to. I have AAA and GPS so I do not care about road side assistance or guidence, however the one thing that is nice is that it has the 'onstar' like features. IF you get into an accident and can NOT reach your cell they will dispatch emergency crews, to ME that is WORTH $140 a month. Especially if you do a lot of driving in rural areas in the winter.

 

[legrandice]

My previous Chevy trailblazer had onstar and I never renewed it after the initial trial period expired. My feeling is that there is always someone else on the roads with a cell phone that will call 911 in the event of an accident. If I am driving where there are no other people...chances are there is no cell service either so the "safety connect" would not work anyways.

 

[mikeync]

My previous Chevy trailblazer had onstar and I never renewed it after the initial trial period expired. My feeling is that there is always someone else on the roads with a cell phone that will call 911 in the event of an accident. If I am driving where there are no other people...chances are there is no cell service either so the "safety connect" would not work anyways.

I agree with you and won't pay for it either BUT there are several examples of people driving off the roads even on fairly well traveled roads and being under something (like a bridge etc) and not being found for days. There are enough of those examples to say hey I could really be in an accident and not be found and not be able to get out of my vehicle.

Obviously where you live and drive impacts this as well....

I thought the Toyota sales guy said the accident feature was free for life, but I was probably wrong on that though

 

[westwind77]

So who has an SR5 with Safety Connect?

 

[bradj]

So who has an SR5 with Safety Connect?

I'll tell you in a few hours.. I'm going to pickup mine which is fresh off the boat.

 

[jkinder]

It is standard in the 4wd models and not the 2wd? I wonder what their logic is behind that.

 

[scottp999]

Alot of people who track their cars hate this type of technology. You hit a wall, don't have track insurance, and get a phone call saying we see you have wrecked, GPS coordinates show you at Maryland International Speedway. You are SOL!

I really don't really like these nanny GPS monitors everywhere. Your car, your phone. You know your doing nothing wrong, but you can bet the technology is just as likely to be used against you as it is to help you. At least I can refuse to testify against myself, but my phone and car don't have that ability.

 

[Thai]

I had "blondstar" on my Mercedes...i did not renew it after my free year. Not worth it IMO.

 

[harper7]

Just looked it up and on the Toyota site for down here it says -Not Available- for the SR5's or TE's.

On the Limited,they put the dang SOS button right next to the sunroof controls overhead and I've hit by accident and called them 3 times already.Once my free year is up I won't suscribe to it either.They use cellular technology to communicate with you and GPS for location like Onstar. So if my cell phone is out of range ,so is the SOS.Now if they used Satellite phone technology like Globalstar then I would suscribe.

I had Onstar on my old Denali and never used it either.
With Onstar ,when you hit the button after the suscription was up you would get a recording telling you how to renew and a telephone number to call. But if you hit the button again you would still get the live onstar operator for emergencies. I found out by accident with my kids playing with the Onstar button. Then one time ,a Onstar operator called me after the suscription by accident and scared the bejesus out of me .I was by myself and here this man's voice that sounded like he was in the back seat.

 

[poolzer]

Then one time ,a Onstar operator called me after the suscription by accident and scared the bejesus out of me .I was by myself and here this man's voice that sounded like he was in the back seat.

I was in a semi sour mood until I read that, thanks for getting a good smirk outta me.


I agree, though, having it right next to the moonroof controls is just dumb. Yes, its the furthest away button so when my free sub runs out, I can somewhat forget about it and maybe even mod it out of there.

 

[westwind77]

Just looked it up and on the Toyota site for down here it says -Not Available- for the SR5's or TE's.

What gets me is that mine does not have it, although the Toyota site says I should have it, for my zip code, neither do the others on the lots around here. Why can't Toyota seem to get their 'story' straight???

The ONLY good thing these 'buttons' do is contact the emergency services in case of an accident, even if YOU can not. Personally if myself of my wife gets in a crash and is unconscious the matter of a few mintues can be life or death.

A family member had their SUV stolen, contacted the police, but it had been gone over 48 hours at that point, could have been anywhere. About 20 mintues later they remembered it had OnStar (had never signed up or used it). Called them, and they instantly told the police exactly where it was and the police made the arrest.

Personally I would pay for a 'Safety Connect' feature long before I paid for an 'XM' subscription.

 

[ladywolf]

I was in a semi sour mood until I read that, thanks for getting a good smirk outta me.


I agree, though, having it right next to the moonroof controls is just dumb. Yes, its the furthest away button so when my free sub runs out, I can somewhat forget about it and maybe even mod it out of there.

i have found, however, that with onstar and stuff you can get ahold of them even if cell service doesnt work. we've used onstar through our diesel when we had no cell phone reception. the truck has a much larger antenna than a cell phone does, and therefore managed to pick up reception. i'm debating on whether or not when my free year runs out that I will renew. dunno yet.

 

[mikeync]

i have found, however, that with onstar and stuff you can get ahold of them even if cell service doesnt work. we've used onstar through our diesel when we had no cell phone reception. the truck has a much larger antenna than a cell phone does, and therefore managed to pick up reception. i'm debating on whether or not when my free year runs out that I will renew. dunno yet.

I am pretty sure that onstar uses satellite (maybe as backup) which is pretty much visible from anywhere. It doesn't relate to the lenght of an antenna over a cellphone that uses cell-phone towers only

 

[Aspen]

Actually OnStar does use cell towers and not the big birds in the sky for communications. I've had two events and tried to contact OnStar through their system in the roof and could not get through. For one of them I had to walk four miles to a pay phone to call for help - my cell phone would not work either. When I called OnStar to cancel my service and they asked me why, I told them that there was very little cell coverage in my state (Arkansas), and so their service simply did not work in most places - they agreed, did not even argue, and refunded the remainder of my subscription.

 

[harper7]

I am pretty sure that onstar uses satellite (maybe as backup) which is pretty much visible from anywhere. It doesn't relate to the lenght of an antenna over a cellphone that uses cell-phone towers only

Onstar and SOS use the GlobalPositioningSatellite for location and cellular towers for voice communication with the vehicles.

Globalstar has satellites up for voice communication AND they choose not to use them because the reciever is more expensive.A friend who is a forest ranger has one , they pick up just about anywhere outside as long as it's not raining super hard. They are great if you live way out in boonies!
Google em!