LaHood defends U.S. regulators who dealt with Toyota
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Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday strongly defended his agency’s response to reports that Toyota vehicles had safety problems with sudden acceleration.
Speaking to a congressional panel investigating the Toyota problem, LaHood insisted that safety was his major concern.
“Recently, I spoke by telephone with the president of Toyota, Akio Toyoda. I told him that safety is our top priority at DOT and it must be for Toyota as well. He assured me that Toyota takes U.S. safety concerns very seriously and that they are working hard to address all safety issues. I intend to hold him to that,” LaHood said.
LaHood testified before a panel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee looking at how Toyota has handled the sudden acceleration problems and how U.S. regulators dealt with the company. After testifying, the panel recessed so members could vote and will return later to question LaHood.
“The Toyota recall situation is very serious and we are treating it seriously,” LaHood said. “The three recalls involving Toyota are among the largest in automotive history, affecting more than 6 million people in this country.
“I want everyone to know that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has the most effective defect investigation program in the world,” LaHood said. “Its job is to investigate complaints and to look for defects. It receives more than 30,000 complaints from consumers every year and it reviews each and every one quickly and carefully.”
According to LaHood, NHTSA officials pushed Toyota to correct the acceleration problem, even traveling to Japan to meet with company officials.
LaHood also said that NHTSA is investigating whether electromagnetic interference played any role in the acceleration problem.
--Michael Muskal
