Toyota in a hoop to pay $16M to NHTSA for failing to report
[url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6944936.html][img]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/gyi0059486991-630op.jpg[/img][/url]
After [url=http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/03/nhtsa-mulling-toyota-fines-for-delayed-recall/]much deliberation[/url], the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has decided to issue a [color=#ff0000][size=4][b]$16.4 million[/b][/size][/color] penalty to [url=http://www.autoblog.com/make/toyota/]Toyota[/url] – the maximum fine allowed – for failing to [url=http://www.autoblog.com/toyota_recall/guide]recall vehicles[/url] due to faulty accelerator pedals in a timely fashion. This will be the largest fine ever issued to an automaker by the government.
The U.S. DOT says that Toyota failed to promptly notify the government about the defective gas pedals amongst its model range. According to NHTSA, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says that there's evidence to prove Toyota knew of the gas pedal problem as early as late September, yet the official recall was not issued until the end of January.
For now, Toyota has two weeks to either accept the penalty and pay up, or contest the government's decision and continue deliberations. Hit the jump to read NHTSA's official press release.
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16M isn't really much for a company of an elephant size. The major loss here is the now-down-to-toilet reputation for the then trust-worthy Japanese automaker.
After all this, I sure hope the LF-A doesn't come with any floor mats, [i]at all[/i]. I don't care of if it's weaven from CF, LOL.