Toyota To Pay $1.2 Billion Fine And Admit It Purposely Misled Public Before Massive Recall

Toyota Motor Corp. agreed to pay a $1.2 billion fine -- the largest penalty ever imposed against an automaker, according to prosecutors -- to resolve federal charges related to its handling of unintended acceleration problems that ultimately led to the recall of more than 10 million vehicles.

Under a "deferred prosecution” agreement with the U.S. Justice Department announced here today, Toyota will admit that it misled consumers by concealing information and making false statements about safety issues. The agreement puts Toyota under the watch of an independent monitor who will review and assess its communication policies related to safety.

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Sciros - 3/19/2014 11:25:41 AM

-1 Boost

I don't understand... has anyone come up with any actual EVIDENCE regarding Toyota's culpability? And I mean falsifiable, corroborated evidence. Not hearsay, FUD, and panicked personal accounts.

Agent009 - 3/19/2014 1:33:03 PM

+4 Boost

I think the fact that they knew and blew it off was the issue. Not who was at fault. After you see an issue you must report to the Fed to investigate.

GM better brace to get it up the rear for their issues now. This is just an example.

Car4Life - 3/19/2014 1:40:10 PM

+3 Boost

Yep, and a video recently surfaced of a Toyota Highlander experiencing the same problem in the owner's driveway.

Scary stuff see below

http://youtu.be/dsTiPhcaeus

7msynthetic - 3/19/2014 1:25:24 PM

0 Boost

Me neither. Its a joke. If this is the case then Chrysler is going need to pay BIG TIME for knowingly putting faulty ignition switches into their POS cars.

TheSteve - 3/19/2014 5:48:40 PM

+1 Boost

I find it odd that Crime Scene Investigators (CSIs), multiple government enquiries, and even NASA (seriously!) could not ANY evidence that suggested Toyota's cars were in any way causing unintended acceleration, yet the courts determine the opposite is true.

Life is just weird sometimes, isn't it?

MrEE - 3/19/2014 6:19:49 PM

+2 Boost

Unintended acceleration is a one of the highest complaints across all makes and models. Most are in parking lots or driveways and are most probably attributed to drivers having there foot on the wrong petal.
Toyota is just paying up to get this behind them. They don't want what happened to Audi to in the US to repeat. Ford and GM have many more deaths attributed to their coverups, but won't get near the rap a foreign company gets.

JDMUSMuscle - 3/19/2014 6:56:41 PM

+1 Boost

I to this very day, do not really know what really caused all these. Could be the drivers' fault, but then it'd be way too convenient to just put it that way.

But the problem is not about Toyota's gas pedal that I see here. If the U.S. government and the American consumers actually care about safety, and believe safety should come first, then how did GM and Chrysler get away with making all the junk with safety issues?

And it's funny how the U.S. media and the courts are beginning to talk about GM recalls ONLY VERY RECENTLY, and I don't think it ever became a bigger issue than Toyota's gas pedal issue here, when it should be. Amusing.