LA Times details Toyota history of concealing safety issues
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/government-legal/" rel="tag">Government/Legal</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/safety/" rel="tag">Safety</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/toyota/" rel="tag">Toyota</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/11/image002_opt_opta.jpg" /></div>
<br />
The <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/25/breaking-toyota-to-recall-3-8m-vehicles-to-reshape-and-replace/">unintended acceleration issue</a> has reached critical mass for <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/toyota/">Toyota</a>, but is it an isolated incident for an automaker with an otherwise stellar record for being frank with its customers? A recent investigation by the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> shows that Toyota may have concealed safety issues on several occasions in an effort to keep its name clean. The newspaper is reporting that it uncovered several incidents in which Toyota concealed defects or delayed recalls even after several complaints were made.<br />
<br />
For instance, there was an issue with a plastic panel that could be dislodged, potentially leading to unintended acceleration issues in some 2003 model <a href="http://autoblog.com/model/sienna">Toyota Sienna</a> minivans. Engineers reportedly discovered the problem and fixed the issue after 26,000 units were made. Toyota didn't announce a recall until six years later. Then there was a steering issue with <a href="http://autoblog.com/model/4runner">2004 Toyota 4Runner</a> models. Toyota recalled the vehicles in Japan but insisted that no recall was necessary in the U.S. even after there were dozens of complaints that showed the problem was real. The Japanese automaker finally recalled the SUVs in 2005. More recent was a suit filed by Dimitrios Biller; the ex-Toyota lawyer who alleges that his former employer <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/31/report-toyota-accused-of-ruthless-conspiracy-to-conceal-dest/"> hid safety data</a> and evidence in rollover cases.<br />
<br />
And that's not nearly all. Click past the break to keep reading about more possible safety defects the <em>LA Times</em> suggests may have been concealed by Toyota.<br /><p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/24/la-times-details-toyota-history-of-concealing-safety-issues/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em><i>LA Times </i> details Toyota history of concealing safety issues</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/24/la-times-details-toyota-history-of-concealing-safety-issues/"><i>LA Times </i> details Toyota history of concealing safety issues</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota-secrecy23-2009dec23,0,557792,full.s tory>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/24/la-times-details-toyota-history-of-concealing-safety-issues/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19293090/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/24/la-times-details-toyota-history-of-concealing-safety-issues/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

أكثر...