A four-year criminal investigation into Toyota’s disclosure of safety problems has concluded with a $1.2 billion settlement. The announcement is expected for Wednesday.
The investigation, aimed to determine if the Japanese automaker was forthright in reporting safety problems related to unintended acceleration troubles. Toyota began issuing massive recalls in 2009, mostly in the U.S., totaling more than 10 million vehicles for numerous problems including gas pedals and floor mats and faulty brakes. The automaker paid fines totaling more than $60 million for delays in reporting unintended acceleration problems during 2010 through 2012.
In 2013 Toyota agreed to pay $1 billion to settle hundreds of suits alleging owners of its cars suffered economic losses due to the numerous recalls. But, that settlement did not include injury lawsuits and wrongful deaths that were consolidated in federal courts.
“Toyota has cooperated with the U.S. attorney’s office in this matter for more than four years,” Toyota spokeswoman Carl Schaffner said on Wednesday. “During that time, we have made fundamental changes to become a more responsive and customer-focused organization, and we are committed to continued improvements.”
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