Could Toyota Face Criminal Charges?
Date Published: Thursday, March 11th, 2010
There is a chance Toyota could face criminal charges in the U.S. over its handling of recent recalls for unintended acceleration. According to a report in USA Today, a federal law adopted in 2000 could make such charges possible.
The law in question is known as the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act. According to USA Today, TREAD was enacted in response to rollover recalls involving Ford Explorers and Firestone tires. It makes individuals who intentionally mislead federal regulators about safety defects subject to possible criminal fines and even prison.
Since last fall, Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide for problems involving sudden acceleration. Toyota has blamed the speed control issues on defective floor mats and faulty accelerator pedals, but some experts suspect that problems with the vehicles’ electronic throttle control system could really be behind the problems. Such suspicions have increased recently, as dozens of Toyota owners whose vehicles underwent recall repairs have recently complained that their vehicles are still experiencing problems with unintended acceleration.
As we’ve reported previously, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating the timeliness of the recent Toyota recalls, and the company could face civil penalties if the agency finds something was askew. But according to USA Today, the automaker was also served with a subpoena last month by a New York grand jury looking into sudden acceleration problems, as well as problems with brakes on Prius and Lexus hybrids. The grand jury investigation is a signal that a criminal probe is underway, USA Today said.
Both the NHTSA and the Justice Department will be trying to determine if Toyota should informed safety regulators about problems sooner and whether it “provided all the information that was requested in the course of its defect investigations.”
In addition to the NHTSA and Justice Department probes, Toyota has also faced a number of congressional investigations over the recent recalls. The Associated Press reported today that one committee conducting such a probe, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is requesting more information from Toyota. In a letter to James E. Lentz, the president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A, Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich. questioned Toyota’s repeated assertions that electronics are not behind any of the speed control problems.
The letter complains that there is “an absence of documents” to show whether the company thoroughly investigated the possibility of unintended acceleration. According to the Associated Press, the committee asked who is involved with the testing and demanded that it be given quarterly reports detailing allegations of the unwanted acceleration.
“We do not understand the basis for Toyota’s repeated assertions that it is ‘confident’ there are no electronic defects contributing to incidents of sudden unintended acceleration,” the lawmakers wrote.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 6:39 am and is filed under Accident, Defective Products, Legal News, Motor Vehicles, Product Recalls, Recalled Vehicles.
There is a chance Toyota could face criminal charges in the U.S. over its handling of recent recalls for unintended acceleration. According to a report in USA Today, a federal law adopted in 2000 could make such charges possible.
The law in question is known as the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act. According to USA Today, TREAD was enacted in response to rollover recalls involving Ford Explorers and Firestone tires. It makes individuals who intentionally mislead federal regulators about safety defects subject to possible criminal fines and even prison.
Since last fall, Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide for problems involving sudden acceleration. Toyota has blamed the speed control issues on defective floor mats and faulty accelerator pedals, but some experts suspect that problems with the vehicles’ electronic throttle control system could really be behind the problems. Such suspicions have increased recently, as dozens of Toyota owners whose vehicles underwent recall repairs have recently complained that their vehicles are still experiencing problems with unintended acceleration.
As we’ve reported previously, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating the timeliness of the recent Toyota recalls, and the company could face civil penalties if the agency finds something was askew. But according to USA Today, the automaker was also served with a subpoena last month by a New York grand jury looking into sudden acceleration problems, as well as problems with brakes on Prius and Lexus hybrids. The grand jury investigation is a signal that a criminal probe is underway, USA Today said.
Both the NHTSA and the Justice Department will be trying to determine if Toyota should informed safety regulators about problems sooner and whether it “provided all the information that was requested in the course of its defect investigations.”
In addition to the NHTSA and Justice Department probes, Toyota has also faced a number of congressional investigations over the recent recalls. The Associated Press reported today that one committee conducting such a probe, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is requesting more information from Toyota. In a letter to James E. Lentz, the president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A, Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich. questioned Toyota’s repeated assertions that electronics are not behind any of the speed control problems.
The letter complains that there is “an absence of documents” to show whether the company thoroughly investigated the possibility of unintended acceleration. According to the Associated Press, the committee asked who is involved with the testing and demanded that it be given quarterly reports detailing allegations of the unwanted acceleration.
“We do not understand the basis for Toyota’s repeated assertions that it is ‘confident’ there are no electronic defects contributing to incidents of sudden unintended acceleration,” the lawmakers wrote.
<
This entry was posted
on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 6:39 am and is filed under Accident, Defective Products, Legal News, Motor Vehicles, Product Recalls, Recalled Vehicles.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
March 11th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
I do believe that Toyota should get the screws put to them for this whole deal!!!They should own up to the faulty computer problem…I think it is a problem with the cruise control sensor…because now the fix is to install a “BRAKE OVER-RIDE SYSTEM”on all new Toyotas….that just admits that Toyota knows that they have a glitch in the computer system on these cars…but they do not know how to correct it…so just install a brake over-ride in the rest of the vehichles being made to cover the faulty system!!!Oh yeah…makes real good sense to me…NOT!!!!I am so angry at Toyota and our Government system for this…Toyota should be held responsible for this and be made to pay all consumer debt owed to our U.S banks for these UNSAFE cars that we have been forced to drive…and clear us from our burden…and give us the chance to go and make another purchase on a car that we feel is safe to put our family in and drive down the road in!!!!Who knows…any other auto maker could face this issue as well…sure hope not!!!But as for me and my family…we will never own another Toyota again…and honestly before all of this…Toyota is all I would purchase!!!HOW SAD!!!If our Government does not make Toyota pay back unpaid consumer debt…then what will happen there?Banks will crash and burn and our economy that is still so shakey…will be forever destroyed!!It is not our fault and we should not be forced to suffer due to no fault of our own!!!!