(December 21, 2010) Toyota announced Monday that it has reached two settlement agreements with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration related to the timeliness of recalls conducted by the company in 2005 to address potential concerns with steering relay rods and from 2007 to early 2010 to address the potential for pedal entrapment by unsecured, incompatible or improperly installed floor mats. 

Toyota has agreed to pay $32.425 million as part of these settlements, without admitting to any violation of its obligations under the U.S. Safety Act.

The fines, in addition to an earlier $16.4 million levy paid to settle a similar probe, bring to $48.8 million the amount that Toyota has agreed to pay in civil penalties this year.
 
“Toyota is pleased to have resolved these legacy issues related to the timeliness of prior recalls dating back to 2005.  All 30,000 of our U.S. team members, and the tens of thousands of Americans at dealers and suppliers across the country, have worked very hard over the past year to put these issues behind us and set a new standard of responsiveness to our customers," said Steve St. Angelo, Toyota’s Chief Quality Officer for North America.

"These agreements are an opportunity to turn the page to an even more constructive relationship with NHTSA and focus even more on listening to our customers and meeting their high expectations for safe and reliable vehicles.