CHICAGO, April 10 (Reuters) - U.S. safety regulators may seek another fine against automaker Toyota Motor Corp on top of a $16.4 million penalty sought this week for taking too long to notify them of defective accelerator pedals, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a letter to Toyota notifying the company of its initial fine it might pursue a second penalty based on documents indicating there are two defects in the pedals, which were recalled in January, the Times said.
'The gravity of Toyota's apparent violations is severe and potentially life-threatening,' the NHTSA chief counsel, O. Kevin Vincent, wrote in the letter.
Toyota's January recall for accelerator pedals that it says could stick, causing vehicles to accelerate unintentionally, involved 2.3 million vehicles.
U.S. law allowed a $6,000 penalty for each defective vehicle sold by Toyota, adding to $13.8 billion. Due to a law that limits individual fines against a manufacturer, the maximum the government could seek was $16.375 million, Vincent wrote.
The $16.4 million fine is the largest ever the U.S. Department of Transportation has ever sought. Toyota can appeal the penalty.
NHTSA said Toyota inexplicably told its American division not to stop installing defective pedals even after it made engineering changes in other countries.
In announcing the first fine on Monday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said documents showed Toyota had known of the potential pedal defect since at least last Sept. 29, when the company issued a notice addressing complaints about pedals and sudden acceleration to distributors in 31 European countries.
Carmakers are required to initiate a recall within five business days of discovering a defect in one of their vehicles.
A panel of judges on Friday consolidated about 200 lawsuits against Toyota over cars that raced out of control to be heard in Southern California federal court.
(Editing by Bill Trott) Keywords: TOYOTA/FINE (christine.stebbins@thomsonreuters.com; +1 312 408 8720; Reuters Messaging:christine.stebbins.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a letter to Toyota notifying the company of its initial fine it might pursue a second penalty based on documents indicating there are two defects in the pedals, which were recalled in January, the Times said.
'The gravity of Toyota's apparent violations is severe and potentially life-threatening,' the NHTSA chief counsel, O. Kevin Vincent, wrote in the letter.
Toyota's January recall for accelerator pedals that it says could stick, causing vehicles to accelerate unintentionally, involved 2.3 million vehicles.
U.S. law allowed a $6,000 penalty for each defective vehicle sold by Toyota, adding to $13.8 billion. Due to a law that limits individual fines against a manufacturer, the maximum the government could seek was $16.375 million, Vincent wrote.
The $16.4 million fine is the largest ever the U.S. Department of Transportation has ever sought. Toyota can appeal the penalty.
NHTSA said Toyota inexplicably told its American division not to stop installing defective pedals even after it made engineering changes in other countries.
In announcing the first fine on Monday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said documents showed Toyota had known of the potential pedal defect since at least last Sept. 29, when the company issued a notice addressing complaints about pedals and sudden acceleration to distributors in 31 European countries.
Carmakers are required to initiate a recall within five business days of discovering a defect in one of their vehicles.
A panel of judges on Friday consolidated about 200 lawsuits against Toyota over cars that raced out of control to be heard in Southern California federal court.
(Editing by Bill Trott) Keywords: TOYOTA/FINE (christine.stebbins@thomsonreuters.com; +1 312 408 8720; Reuters Messaging:christine.stebbins.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.