Criminal Charge Against Toyota Dismissed in Unintended Acceleration Case
Toyota has completed three years of monitoring under a $1.2-billion settlement.
U.S. District Judge William Pauley in New York has agreed to a U.S. Justice Department request to end the case stemming from Toyota’s unintended acceleration issues and the automaker’s admission that it misled U.S. consumers by concealing and making deceptive statements in 2009 and 2010. The Japanese automaker agreed to three years of oversight by an independent monitor, which ended in August 2017.
At the time, the $1.2-billion settlement was the largest penalty the U.S. has ever levied on an automaker – that is until Volkswagen came around with its massive diesel scandal that has resulted in $4.3 billion in fines.
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“Regrettably, the payment of a $1.2 billion fine and the appointment of a monitor appear to have concluded the government’s investigation into this tragic episode,” said Pauley. The judge originally said in 2014 the case represented a “reprehensible picture of corporate misconduct.”
According to Automotive News, there are still individual civil claims pending in California over Toyota’s unintended acceleration issue.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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i remember how they tried blaming the floor mats. and how Consumer Ripoffs rolled with it until they had no choice but to beg Toyota to recall their cars already
I have had after market mats in my cars. If there was no hook I checked the position before getting into the car. I have had a 99 Camry and it has hooks for the mat and My Venza also. I say get Weather Tech mats. I have the cheaper weather tech in the venza. They have holes for the hooks. Get the ones with the lip. They can not move, but spendy.