Toyota agrees to pay U.S. fine, denies wrongdoing+

WASHINGTON, April 19 Kyodo -
Toyota Motor Corp. has agreed to pay a record $16.38 million fine imposed by
U.S. authorities for failing to speedily notify them of problems with
accelerator pedals, U.S. Transport Secretary Ray LaHood said Monday.
But the Japanese auto giant denied it was involved in a cover-up of defects in
its vehicles and said that it decided to pay the fine to avoid a further
dispute with U.S. transport safety authorities.
''We regret that NHTSA (the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration) tentatively concluded that they should seek a civil penalty.
Toyota denies NHTSA's allegation that it violated the Safety Act or its
implementing regulations,'' it said.
LaHood heavily criticized Toyota, saying in his statement, ''By failing to
report known safety problems as it is required to do under the law, Toyota put
consumers at risk.''
''I am pleased that Toyota has accepted responsibility for violating its legal
obligations to report any defects promptly,'' LaHood said. ''We are continuing
to investigate whether the company has lived up to all its disclosure
obligations.''
Toyota said, ''We agreed to this settlement in order to avoid a protracted
dispute and possible litigation, as well as to allow us to move forward
fully-focused on the steps to strengthen our quality assurance operations.''
The company said it ''made a good faith effort'' to investigate the faulty
pedal problems and develop appropriate countermeasures.
''Toyota is already moving ahead with a number of important steps to strengthen
our quality assurance operations and enhance our ability to meet customer
expectations,'' the carmaker added.
Earlier this month, the NHTSA ordered Toyota to pay the fine on the grounds
that it delayed reporting to regulators and failed to issue a recall over
faulty gas pedals until January despite discovering the problems in late
September.
Monday was the deadline for whether Toyota would agree to pay the fine.
Automakers are required to notify the NHTSA within five business days if they
determine that a defect exists.
The company has recalled over 8 million vehicles worldwide, including some of
its top-selling models such as the Prius hybrid and the Camry, over problems
with accelerator pedals, floor mats, and brakes that could cause sudden
acceleration.
==Kyodo
2010-04-20 00:03:46