Toyota Pays Another $32 Million to Settle US Probe Over Safety Issues

VOA Breaking News (Voice of America)
December 21, 2010 at 5:05 am

Toyota Motor Corporation has reached an agreement with the U.S. government to pay more than $32 million in penalties over the Japanese automaker's handling of two separate recalls.

One case involves the recall of five million vehicles with gas pedals that could become trapped in all-weather floor mats, causing unintended acceleration. The second case involves suspected steering problems in several models. The automaker initially told U.S. regulators in 2004 the problem was limited to vehicles sold in Japan, but a year later it revealed the problem was also found in several vehicles in the United States.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded Toyota did not inform U.S. regulators about the recalls in a timely manner.

Toyota already paid another $16 million back in April for failing to notify regulators in a timely fashion about another problem with unintended acceleration, this one involving faulty gas pedals that became stuck in place after being depressed.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood issued a statement saying he expects the automaker “to work cooperatively in the future to ensure consumers' safety.”