Toyota to agree to $16.4 million government fine

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Toyota is expected to agree on Monday to pay a fine of more than $16 million for a four-month delay in telling the government about defective gas pedals on its vehicles, the largest civil penalty imposed on an automaker by the government, a Transportation Department official said Sunday.

Toyota faced a deadline to accept or contest the $16.4 million fine over evidence it knew about sticking gas pedals in September but did not issue a recall until January. The Transportation official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said on condition of anonymity that Toyota was expected to agree to the full fine as a means of avoiding going to court against the government.

The official said Toyota did not intend to accept liability explicitly. But from the government's viewpoint, the official said, the agreement to pay the full fine constitutes an acceptance of responsibility for hiding the safety defect in violation of the law.

Toyota did not immediately comment.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100419/ap_on_bi_ge/us_toyota_recall

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$16.4 million?!!

Are you fucking serious?!!!!

Why don't you lash them with a wet noodle for chrissake, it would hurt more.

:eyes:

Nothing against due process, but you know it will be YEARS before anyone sees dime number one from Toyota after being injured or having a loved one killed.

"NHTSA is still investigating to see if Toyota committed any additional violations that may warrant more penalties, the agency said. Under federal regulations, $16.4 million is the most an automaker can be fined for a single violation."

http://money.cnn.com/2010/04/05/autos/toyota_nhtsa_fine/index.htm

Who decided there should be a maximum?

Why?

Are they still in office?

Why?

:grr:

It's how the Elites give the ILLUSION of regulation, just make fines too small to matter.

This won't hurt the other cases against them. I think it will help.

but it still irks me that there are limits to fines, no matter how egregious the infraction.

That has to change.

This is how The Corporate Elite lets people think there is real regulation. Our regulatory agencies are a fucking DISGRACE.

Blame the legislator who tied their hands.

I have deep respect for the unappreciated Civil Servants of this nation, who usually take the blame for our legislator's fuck-ups.

It's just that the Elites are good at hiding who the True Masters are.

ask him//her why these fines are limited.

I'm sure they'll never make that mistake again.

:sarcasm:

That's 16 years of pay for a Toyota CEO. It's a little more than a year's pay for a GM CEO.

http://joulesbeef.newsvine.com/_news/2008/11/19/2128569-ceo-of-gm-makes-14-times-what-ceo-of-toyota-makes-but-we-are-to-be-outrraged-the-employees-get-double-what-toyota-employees-make