Toyota agreed to pay, admitting that it hid information about defects in Toyota and Lexus vehicles that determined some cars to accelerate unexpectedly. This produced injuries and deaths. The company was misleading consumers and regulators assuring them the problems were solved after a car crash that killed a family of four, in 2009, in San Diego. The conclusion, said the General Attorney, is that “Toyota confronted a public safety emergency as it if were a public relations system.” However, no Toyota executives were charged in this situation. For two years, beginning in 2010, Toyota paid fines in a total value of $66 million for delays in reporting safety problems. In the incriminated unintended acceleration the cause is in the car’s electronics and in the software connected to an electronic throttle-control system. And during a long time, the company denied the electronics are flawed.
As an official engagement, a Toyota spokesman, Steve Curtis, said to the media: “During that time we have made fundamental changes to become a more responsive and customer-focused organization, and we are committed to continued improvements.”
