July 21, 2010
The federal grand jury investigating Toyota’s vehicle sudden acceleration and braking issues has now subpoenaed documents relating to faulty steering rod components.
According to The New York Times, Toyota revealed that the grand jury in the Southern District of New York has demanded documents about defective steering relay rods, which were the subject of a massive 2005 recall.
Toyota issued a recall in Japan in 2004 for the defective steering rods, telling U.S. regulators that the recall was limited only to vehicles in Japan. In late 2005, Toyota told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the defective parts were in U.S. vehicles and issued a recall of about 977,000 model year 1989 to 1998 SUVs and pickups to correct the problem.
Since the recall in 2005, documents filed by Toyota with the government show only a fraction of the recalled vehicles fixed, reports The Washington Post.
The faulty rod connects the steering wheel to the wheels and can break, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The NHTSA has found the defective steering relay rods to blame for at least fifteen crashes, three deaths and seven injuries.
In May 2010, The NHTSA opened an investigation into whether Toyota complied with U.S. regulations, which require notification of a defect to the agency within five days. The Los Angeles Times reports that Toyota received may complaints about the defect as early as 2000.
The company faced a criminal investigation in Japan over its actions regarding the defective steering relay rods.
In April, Toyota agreed to pay a $16.4 million fine for delaying the recall for “sticky” gas pedals in its vehicles.
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