Today, Toyota Motor Corporation announced that it will be paying the maximum allowable fine under federal law to the federal government in response to the investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NHTSA’s assertion that Toyota did not report a safety defect to the federal government in a timely manner.
How much will Toyota pay in fines?
$17.35 million. It’s the biggest one-time penalty payment for recall violations that the NHTSA has ever got.
“Safety is our highest priority,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “With today’s announcement, I expect Toyota to rigorously reinforce its commitment to adhering to United States safety regulations.”
What happened here?
Less than a year ago, NHTSA started looking into a problem with floor mat pedal entrapment in 2010 Lexus RX 350s in Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) and Early Warning Reporting data. By the summer, Toyota had reported to NHTSA that the car maker was aware of 63 alleged incidents of possible floor mat pedal entrapment in Model Year 2010 Lexus RX 350s.
In June, Toyota recalled 154,036 Model Year 2010 Lexus RX 350 and Model Year 2010 RX 450h vehicles for floor mat pedal entrapment.
Read the complete agreement between Toyota and NHTSA here.
Read the Toyota Recall online here.
Own a Lexus? Check your VIN number against the recall information here.
