Could It Get Any Worse For Toyota?

[ABM]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100419/ap_on_bi_ge/us_toyota_recall

WASHINGTON – Toyota Motor Corp. is expected to agree to a fine of more than $16 million, the largest government penalty levied against an automaker, for a four-month delay in telling federal authorities about defective gas pedals on its vehicles, a Transportation Department official said Sunday.

Toyota faces a Monday deadline to accept or contest the $16.4 million fine over evidence it knew about sticking gas pedals in September but did not issue a recall until January.

The Transportation official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke only on condition of anonymity. The official said Toyota is expected to pay the full amount of the assessed fine within 30 days as a means of avoiding going to court against the government.

The official said Toyota did not intend to accept liability explicitly. But from the government's viewpoint, the official said, the agreement to pay the full fine constituted an acceptance of responsibility for hiding the safety defect in violation of the law.

Toyota did not immediately comment on the fine. Under federal law, automakers are required to notify the government within five business days when they find a potential safety defect.

Toyota announced it would recall 2.3 million vehicles in January to address sticking pedals on popular vehicles such as the Camry and Corolla. The Japanese automaker has recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide because of acceleration problems in multiple models and braking issues in the Prius hybrid.

Concerns about sticking gas pedals and complaints from Toyota owners in the U.S. were rising at the end of 2009, according to chronologies of the investigation Toyota provided to the government.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said documents provided by Toyota showed the automaker had known about the sticky pedal defect at least since Sept. 29, 2009, when it issued repair procedures to distributors in 31 European countries to address complaints of sticking pedals, sudden increases in engine RPM and sudden vehicle acceleration.

The documents also showed that Toyota knew that owners in the United States had experienced the same problems.

Transportation officials have not ruled out additional fines. The department is reviewing whether Toyota delayed for six weeks the late January recall of the 2009-2010 Venza in the United States to address floor mats that could entrap the accelerator pedal after making a similar recall in Canada.

Toyota recalled the Venza in Canada in December and reported to the U.S. government on Dec. 16 that the floor mats could move forward while the vehicle is in use and "may interfere with the accelerator pedal."

Toyota told U.S. authorities at the time that the floor mats in question were not imported into the U.S. but the Venza was added to the floor mat recall in late January.

 

[blue32]

Never trust a Toyota Cylon!

 

[Mediocre Man]

I have decided that the US government is behind all of this crap with Toyota. I got to thinking that Toyota is now one of their competitors, so why wouldn't they try to run them down a bit?

I was fully convinced of this after watching a CNN report that had a consumer reports guy on there saying "Don't buy this Toyota car"

LOL. I was like wow, that's pretty harsh.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I don't think 16.4 million is as bad as it could have gotten. it could be criminal negligence.

 

[Minstrel]

I have decided that the US government is behind all of this crap with Toyota. I got to thinking that Toyota is now one of their competitors, so why wouldn't they try to run them down a bit?

I was fully convinced of this after watching a CNN report that had a consumer reports guy on there saying "Don't buy this Toyota car"

LOL. I was like wow, that's pretty harsh.

CIA agents infiltrated Toyota manufacturing plants and created a defective gas pedal.

Then CIA agents infiltrated Toyota upper management and convinced Toyota not to report it for months.

What I like about this theory is how much sense it makes. It's not crazy like most conspiracy theories.

 

[jlprk]

It's in the US national interest to overpublicize any criticism of foreign imports sold here, which are impacting the balance of trade. For a decade it's been mainly Chinese goods. But back in the 1980s, Japan took over US debt because of the gigantic Republican deficits (also SE Asian debt) . Under Clinton, the US started playing defense. Suddenly the Japanese economy started a major recession which actually hasn't ended. The recession ended, but the economy never regained its 80s posture of taking over countries via debt.

Sure, Toyota was late in telling the US government, but the thousands of hours in media coverage are strangely excessive. Recalls have had problems before and they were dealt with routinely and few cared.

 

[Natebishop3]

It's in the US national interest to overpublicize any criticism of foreign imports sold here, which are impacting the balance of trade. For a decade it's been mainly Chinese goods. But back in the 1980s, Japan took over US debt because of the gigantic Republican deficits (also SE Asian debt) . Under Clinton, the US started playing defense. Suddenly the Japanese economy started a major recession which actually hasn't ended. The recession ended, but the economy never regained its 80s posture of taking over countries via debt.

Sure, Toyota was late in telling the US government, but the thousands of hours in media coverage are strangely excessive. Recalls have had problems before and they were dealt with routinely and few cared.

Yes, but the Chinese never bombed Pearl Harbor