Toyota Pays Another Million Fine

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

Toyota is asked to pay again in the US. The world's largest automaker does not see the record fine as an admission of guilt.

The world's largest car maker Toyota has agreed to pay a record fine of 32.4 million dollars (24.6 million euros) to the US government for two series of breakdowns. However, the payment does not mean an admission of guilt to having violated security requirements in the United States, Toyota said in a statement in Tokyo on Tuesday. The US authorities had accused the group of covering up the problems. The investigations by the US Department of Transportation against Toyota will be discontinued with the further payment by the company. However, this does not apply to possible civil or criminal proceedings.

Problems with the steering in 2005

One of the cases concerns steering problems. As a result, Toyota had to recall nearly a million vehicles in the United States in 2005. The other case involved slipping floor mats, which is why another five million or so cars had to be recalled. Toyota had previously paid the US government a $ 16.4 million fine after the US government had accused Toyota of covering up problems with accelerator pedals for months.

Because of various technical problems, Toyota had recalled more than eleven million cars to workshops around the world since last fall, most of them in the USA. These actions damaged the reputation of the world's largest car maker.

Opportunity for a constructive relationship

Toyota has failed to comply with US regulations for reporting safety deficiencies to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), according to a statement. US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said it was pleased Toyota agreed to pay the maximum fine possible. He expects Toyota to work cooperatively in the future to ensure consumer safety.

These agreements are an opportunity to move to an “even more constructive relationship with the NHTSA” and “to listen even more to our customers and to meet their high expectations for safety and reliable vehicles,” said Steve St. Angelo, Head of Quality at Toyota in North America, in a statement.

Three percent more sales planned

Meanwhile, the parent company in Japan announced that it intends to sell 7.7 million vehicles worldwide with the Toyota brand in the coming year. That would be three percent more than in the current year. Above all, growth markets such as China and India should contribute to this. On the Japanese home market, sales are likely to decline by 17 percent to 1.3 million cars, while sales abroad are expected to increase by eight percent to 6.4 million cars. For the current year Toyota expects global sales growth of seven percent compared to the previous year to 7.48 million cars.

In terms of production, the Japanese industry leader is also aiming for 7.7 million vehicles worldwide, an increase of one percent compared to the current year. Production abroad is likely to be boosted by six percent to 4.6 million cars, while emissions in Japan are to be cut by five percent to 3.1 million vehicles. For the end of 2010, Toyota expects global production to grow by 20 percent year-on-year to a total of 7.63 million cars, it said. The Toyota Group also includes Daihatsu Motor and Hino Motors. (dpa)