Toyota has agreed to pay 32.4 million dollars in fines over its handling of two auto recalls, bringing total penalties levied on the firm to 48.8 million this year, officials said Monday. The assessments were related to the timeliness of Toyota recalls issued in 2005 over potential concerns with steering relay rods, and others from 2007 to early 2010 to address the possibility of pedals getting trapped by floor mats.
They come on top of Toyota's record 16.4-million-dollar fine assessed in April to settle claims the automaker hid accelerator pedal defects blamed for dozens of deaths. The company said it would pay the fines without admitting any violation of its obligations under the US Safety Act. "Toyota is pleased to have resolved these legacy issues related to the timeliness of prior recalls dating back to 2005," said Steve St. Angelo, Toyota's chief quality officer for North America.
"These agreements are an opportunity to turn the page to an even more constructive relationship with NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and focus even more on listening to our customers and meeting their high expectations for safe and reliable vehicles." Toyota issued a series of mass recalls of around 10 million vehicles world-wide in late 2009 and early 2010 that undermined the company's once stellar reputation and triggered US congressional investigations. "Safety is our top priority and we take our responsibility to protect consumers seriously... I am pleased that Toyota agreed to pay the maximum possible penalty and I expect Toyota to work co-operatively in the future to ensure consumers' safety." Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.
Out of the total new penalties, a 16.375-million-dollar fine was tied to an investigation completed Monday over Toyota's recall of nearly five million vehicles with accelerator pedals that can become entrapped by floor mats, the Department of Transportation said.
It said the company had failed to report a known safety defect within five days, as required by law. Another 16.05-million-dollar fine stems from an NHTSA probe into whether the automaker properly notified the agency of a safety defect in several Toyota models in 2004 and 2005 that could result in the loss of steering control.
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