Vehicle Stability Control (VSC)

VSV should be standard on every car. There is no doubt in my mind that it saved me from a truly major accident this past winter.

It was snowing heavily and the ground is covered with a hard slippery base. It started as rain but now it was bitter cold so the base was ice but the new snow was light and fluffy. I'm on my last leg of my30 mile drive to work and haven't slipped once and I'm already impressed with this car's handling when a car ahead of me on the opposite side starts sliding into my lane. We are both doing about 35 and there is absolutely no way we are not going to hit. There is a car behind him so I can't turn into his lane or I'm likely to hit the car behind him.

So I put on the brakes and turn the car right into the snow bank on my right. The snow is kind of light and fluffy because it is now bitterly cold. I do it slowly so I can keep control. I figure if I do it too quickly Ill just hit that car sideways.

The VSC light is blinking and the bell is chiming. This is what VSC does when it's used. The car went right into the 18 inch snow bank and that other car kept coming. I was sure it would still clip the back of my car but it did not. He went into the snow bank behind me. Well I'm now doing about 25 MPH and I'm heading now for a telephone pole. I'm slowing down but I'm sure I'll at least nudge the pole so now the driving lane is clear. I turn the wheel and all the bells go off again but the car easily goes right back into the driving lane I just exited.

I continue to drive on to work at 20 MPH and thank God I got VSC.

I read somewhere that in Europe when VSC is offered, 80% of the buyers get it. In the USA when VSC is offered only 25% get it. I guess we really don't like change in this country.

I'll never again NOT get VSC and I'll gladly pay the extra $2000 to $3000 for my wifes car and my daughters car. I wish I knew what VSC was before my daughter bought her Prius. I'd gladly pay the difference now.

 

Hi Carroll,

I live in Georgia & I would highly recommend VSC. As you know those of us living in the SE gets tons of downpour in the spring, summer & fall. I wouldn't want to drive a car in the downpour w/o a stability control system.

If you buy your car from VA, KY or non-SE states, you can get package #4 which comes with VSC & Smart Key System. This is what I am going to do in the next 2 weeks.

 

:iagree

VSC is one more technological marvel that will really save your a**.

That said, it doesn't give you a license to drive like a bloody idiot.

If you're a safe and courteous driver, the VSC is an excellent hedge against the unexpected.

Before I put my winter tires on, the chime was going off almost every time I turned the wheel. We had a brutal winter this year, lot's of glare ice at intersections due to the -40 temps.

 

Take a look at the April issue of Consumer Reports, pages 8-9 -- there's a 2-page article on ESC (VSC by another name), what it gets you, and how important it is.

They (CR) are really, really emphasizing how important it is, and how every car should have it.

 

Hi Carroll,

If the cost difference doesn’t faze you . . . I recommend going for the #6. (BC)
Reasons: (not available in #5)
1) VSC
2) HID headlights
3) GPS Navigation system

If the cost is a consideration . . . I recommend waiting for a #4 (AM)
Reasons: (not available in #5)
1) VSC
2) HID headlights

Packages #5 (AI) and #6 (BC) both have the premium sound system. Unfortunately, at your husband’s age, I think that premium may be wasted on his ears.

White is a good color for Florida.

 

A 2004 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety concluded that VSC decreased highway fatalities by 34 percent.

 

When does the VSC actually kick in? In the year and a half I've owned my Prius, only the traction control has ever activated, but not VSC. Then again, I don't off-road or drive in the snow.

 

I've driven 32,000 miles on my Prius and VSC kicked in for the first time yesterday morning. I was driving 68 mph with heavy crosswinds. I came upon a section of road where it had (apparently) been raining shortly before. Wasn't raining then, but there was LOTS of water on the road. I did a bit of hydroplaning with the crosswinds. The VSC kicked in and kept me going straight. I immediately slowed down. I'm glad I have VSC, even if it only came on once in 32,000 miles!