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Friday, 21st May 2010
In Business In Japan,
Toyota comes under further recall criticism
Japanese car manufacturer Toyota, the world's biggest, has come under more scrutiny after an independent investigation into alleged faults with sudden acceleration in some of its cars found no evidence of tests for such problems being carried out by the company.
Earlier this year, Toyota recalled millions of cars around the world after faulty accelerators allegedly contributed to more than 50 road deaths in the US.
The faults came to light when three members of a Californian family were killed in a crash in their Lexus, believed to have been caused by the accelerator being blocked by floor mats.
However, an investigation Toyota claimed to have carried out found no faults of this kind, leading US officials to once again blast the car firm for its alleged lack of action. At the time of the recall, Toyota was criticised for failing to act quickly enough.
"Toyota has repeatedly told the public it has conducted extensive testing of its vehicles for electronic defects. We can find no basis for these assertions. Toyota's assertions may be good public relations, but they don't appear to be true," House subcommittee representative Henry Waxman told a hearing of the House Energy, Oversight and Investigations subcommittee.
Written by Kimberley Homer.
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Toyota to enter Japan's small car market (29th September 2010)
Toyota shareholders sue troubled firm (22nd March 2010)
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