A document claiming Toyota Motor Corp saved over $100 million by convincing U.S. regulators to agree a cheap fix for unintended acceleration problems raised pressure on the company's president as he arrived in Washington to prepare for a grilling from congress.
Akio Toyoda faces the biggest test of his seven-month tenure when he testifies before the lawmakers in an effort to contain a safety crisis that threatens the reputation and continued success of the automaker in the market that made it a global powerhouse.
Toyota has recalled over 8.5 million vehicles globally in recent months for problems including sticky accelerators, accelerators that can be pinned down by loose floormats and a braking glitch affecting hybrid models, including its flagship Prius.
Regulators believe five deaths are associated with floor mats and are reviewing up to 29 other fatality reports to see if they are related to unintended acceleration.
A 2009 internal document turned over to lawmakers and made available on Sunday shows Toyota's Washington D.C. staff trumpeting savings of more than $100 million by convincing regulators to end a 2007 investigation of sudden acceleration complaints with a relatively cheap floormat recall.
The document seems certain to add to the high-stakes debate about whether Toyota missed or ignored complaints about sudden acceleration in its vehicles and whether U.S. safety regulators were tough enough.
Toyota on Sunday reiterated that it was conducting a top-to-bottom review of all its operations.
"Our first priority is the safety of our customers and to conclude otherwise on the basis of one internal presentation is wrong," the company said.
But the Department of Transportation said the document highlighted Toyota's slow response to the safety problems.
"Unfortunately, this document is very telling," said department spokeswoman Olivia Alair in an emailed statement.
Toyota has launched a publicity campaign to convince current and prospective customers that the company is addressing the problems. Its U.S. sales plummeted 16 percent in January and the company has estimated the recalls will cost it $2 billion at the operating level in the fiscal year ending March.
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