Toyota Motor Corporation has agreed to pay the US government a record $32.4m (£20.9m) in additional fines to settle an investigation into its handling of two recalls at the heart of its safety crisis.
The civil penalties will settle investigations into how Toyota dealt with recalls over accelerator pedals that could get trapped in floor mats and steering relay rods that could break and lead to drivers losing control.
The latest settlement, on top of a $16.4m fine Toyota paid earlier in a related investigation, brings the total penalties levied on the company to $48.8m. It caps a difficult year for the world’s biggest car manufacturer, which recalled more than 11m vehicles globally since autumn 2009 as it scrambled to protect its reputation for safety and reliability.
