Toyota Knew about dangerous cars 4 months before recall

Toyota faces a whopping $16.3m (£10.6m) fine from the US government after it was found out that they knew of life-threatening safety problems with accelerator pedals in its cars at least 4 months before they recalled them.

This fine will be the biggest civil fine ever to hit a car manufacturer after not informing the US Department of Transport (DOT) of the problem with the accelerator pedals.

Nearly 10 million vehicles have been recalled from across the world since the news of the sticking accelerator pedals of certain models and to date the US government has linked it to 52 deaths.

The US Transport Secretary, Ray LaHood said last night that there were numerous documents which proved that the company had been aware of the problem since September 2009 and yet the recall did not begin until January this year.

“We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations,” said Mr LaHood. “Worse yet, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months from US officials and did not take action to protect millions of drivers and their families.”

This huge fine only relates to the US market and further fines may be incurred from other countries where deaths can be proven.

A Toyota spokesman said: “While we have not yet received their letter, we understand that NHTSA has taken a position on this recall. We have already taken a number of important steps to improve our communications with regulators and customers on safety-related matters as part of our strengthened overall commitment to quality assurance.”

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