Toyota’s Advanced Rear Seat Reminder has the potential to save lives

The alarming cases of children who died after being left behind in cars have become a little too common, not only in Malaysia but also in other countries.

Recognising the seriousness of the issue, Toyota has introduced the Advanced Rear Seat Reminder system that is capable of detecting movement in the rear seats after the vehicle has been turned off and locked.

The first model to receive the new system is the 2025 Toyota Sienna, a three-row MPV available in the North American market.

While rear seat reminder systems are not new to the automotive world, Toyota’s Advanced Rear Seat Reminder is more sophisticated as it is capable of making calls to the user’s phone.

According to Toyota, the system utilises sensors concealed in the headliner and a 60GHz band millimeter-wave radar to scan the second and third row seats for potential movement.

If the system senses movement after the vehicle is shifted into park and ignition is cycled off, the driver’s door has been opened then closed and the vehicle has been locked, the initial warning will trigger the hazard lights and to flash and sound the door lock chime nine times.

If movement is still detected by the sensor and a door has not been opened approximately 90 seconds after the initial warning, the system will sound the horn as part of the escalation warning.

If the driver has opted into Advanced Rear Seat Reminder notifications via the Toyota app and has an active Safety Connect subscription, they will receive a push notification and a text message four minutes after the horn escalation warning starts.

Finally, after an additional two minutes has elapsed, the system will attempt to generate an automated phone call from Toyota Safety.

However, if the vehicle is left unlocked, the hazard lights will not activate, nor will the door alarm or horn sound. Instead, users will be notified via SMS after 10 minutes, followed by a phone call two minutes later.

Will Toyota introduce the Advanced Rear Seat Reminder system in other markets? We certainly hope so, as it has the potential to save many lives.