Toyota investigated for history of delayed recall announcements

By now, everyone's familiar with the Toyota recalls that affected many drivers earlier this year due to steering and acceleration problems. However, a recent report by USA Today explains that Toyota had a history of malfunctioning steering rods over a decade before the recent recalls.

There were numerous customer complaints and millions of similar trucks in the U.S. that had similar problems. This goes to show that the massive recalls were a continuing problem for Toyota. The article details a lawsuit in which Toyota is being investigated about its reporting of safety problems. The debate is whether or not Toyota is prompt enough in its reporting; by law, it must report any findings of safety issues within five business days.

These discoveries come as Toyota faces tough grilling from the U.S. government and worried consumers. According to the article, Toyota has a history of safety problems, customer complaints, and even unfair reimbursements for malfunctioned vehicles. One would expect a fiduciary duty to ensure the safety of its consumers. It's interesting that foreign companies like Toyota, based in Japan, and now British Petroleum (BP) have a hard time complying with U.S. safety laws.

The California lawsuit that calls for the investigation of Toyota's delayed safety warnings is well underway. The US National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration proves to be a good source for this case following its $16.4 million fine on Toyota for delaying a recall of 2.3 million vehicles that had faulty gas pedals.