Safety sense update without connected services?

Anyone know if you can get offline updates for safety sense like you can for the multimedia units? Just got a new 2025 4Runner, and disabled the connected services day one (no thank you, Toyota doesn't need to know how many times I go to the coffee shop). I presume the dealer can still do it manually worst case, right?

 

Yes, Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) can receive over-the-air (OTA) software updates without needing a connected services subscription. While some features like Safety Connect and remote features rely on a subscription and cellular connection, OTA updates for TSS 3.0 and later systems can be downloaded via Wi-Fi, even without an active connected services plan.

 

Safety sense like the automatic emergency braking, radar, etc? I’m pretty sure that software is validated and baked-in at the factory, due it being such a critical system. I don’t think Toyota works like Tesla does by pushing beta safety updates.

 

Yet.

If it isn't it should be a law of software development: If testing on live is possible, at some point it will be attempted.

 

Perfect way to avoid commitment or going through the expense of validation. Just have the customer assume the risk, it’s cheaper . For this kind of safety system, I don’t want to be told they’re “improving” it…that’s awfully close to saying it wasn’t good enough before. And if they can’t get it right before it ships, how could you trust they’d get it right the second, third, or fourth time.

Although, I’m sure this approach works for tesla because it’s either tesla fans that love the words “iterative design” buying them, or they have “user agreements” that do not allow you to sue or criticize them when you buy them.

Not sure if Toyota would want to take that approach. I think that would reflect badly on their reputation as careful and conservative engineers.

But maybe I’m wrong and Toyota is doing this already? I really hope not, I’d rather not worry about bugs on new updates that interfere with the vehicles safety or usability, years after I bought it..

 

Have you done this? Or read about it in the manual?

 

I read about it in the manual. I would never turn this stuff off. I absolutely trust the government and Toyota to manage my life for me.


….what could go wrong?

 

Embedded stuff like this I expect to almost never require an update.

The ability to ship now and fix later is the hard drug of software development. (at least to management)

Edit: (Obviously OTA updates are not inherently bad and of course they have enabled so many nifty things.)

 

I was thinking in terms of OTA updates for maps. I don’t care particularly about having the latest software updates except for the maps. I know OTA is one possible route. But — if one has fully opted out of all the connected services then an OTA update may be possible. But I suspect that if one has physically disabled the dcm, with the autoharnesshouse bypass harness for example, then OTA updates will not be possible. This is all conjecture on my part. Another possible route for updating maps is via the USB port. I have updated the infotainment firmware that way. But there haven’t been any map updates yet.

 

In context of automobiles, you can keep your nifty things and I will keep my "not dying in a pile of twisted and burning metal" and NOPE! right out of OTA.

 

Sorry, best I can do is draining your battery when it breaks (cough GM) or bricking the vehicle requiring a tow! (cough Ford)

 

A question for anyone, in seriousness…does Toyota actually update the TSS safety system over the air (meaning updating the behavior of radars cruise camera and sensors, collision avoidance braking, vehicle stability control, etc)?

If so, is this a new practice for Toyota? And when did did they start doing so? Can they also reflash the ECU over the air?

I didn’t think toyota actually did this. Honestly I kinda would consider it shocking, given Toyota’s historically conservative design approach.

 

I asked your deeply insightful question to Mr. AI and he said this:


Yes, Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0) supports Over-the-Air (OTA) updates.
This means that certain vehicles equipped with TSS 3.0 can have their safety systems upgraded and receive future improvements and functionalities without requiring a visit to the dealership.
The OTA updates for TSS 3.0 can include enhancements to various features like the Pre-Collision System, Lane Departure Alert, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Tracing Assist, Road Sign Assist, and Automatic High Beams.

• Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0) includes OTA update capability:
  .
  This new generation of TSS incorporates features like a higher resolution, wide-angle front-facing camera and an improved radar sensor, and it also supports remote software updates.

So there ya' go. They do update safety crap in our SloRunners. Most are probably minor tweaks and upgrades, because software can only improve hardware so much and vice versa.

 

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2025/MC-11018345-0001.pdf

TL;DR dealer procedure is available as well so OTA isn’t a huge stretch

 

That and what could possibly go horribly wrong should it be corrupted while it is in "the air."

 

That’s the issue…this practice makes easy to ship cars with substandard safety programming. That same practice just leads to a lack of care all around. Any update carries the same risk of carelessness with every new update version.

 

I’d be more worried if the 5th gen had electric power steering and lane assist that actually corrects the steering.

If the DCM is deactivated, there’s no OTA updating possible, right? You can’t connect the vehicle to your home WiFi, phone WiFi or anything. In fact I think the cars Wi-Fi hotspot has to be active to do OTA updates, no?

 

Because my 2019 doesn't have TSS I haven't paid any attention to whether it needs updating. With the current lack of talent at most Toyota stealer service departments, I wouldn't be comfortable letting them fiddle with something like TSS.

 

Yes, but think about what collision avoidance emergency braking while at speed on the freeway with the tailgating driver behind you ready to Wile E. Coyote you in your 4Runner.

 

I’m pretty sure I don’t have to worry about it since my DCM is grayed and crossed out. Also, with my 2021, I’m not sure if I even have the updatable version of TSS. It’s more that I’m lamenting the erosion of professional practice that allows something like this as SOP across an entire industry. I don’t even want to look…but are these updates done at the request of the owner, or are updates able to be pushed to the vehicle with the owner unaware?

If the subcontractor writing code for the differential braking on the VSC forgets to carry the 1 (or uses the wrong shat bot to write the code)….well, there’s a lot of potential for a lot of people to have a very bad day.