Toyota Documents Show It Knew of Pedal Flaws in 2006 (3 1/2 years before it recalled cars and trucks

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Bloomberg

By Angela Greiling Keane (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp. knew about flaws that could cause unintended acceleration more than 3 1/2 years before it recalled cars and trucks to fix the defects, according to company timelines.

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, learned that floor mats could entrap accelerator pedals as early as Feb. 7, 2006, and that pedals could stick five months later, according to documents dated March 24 that were submitted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and obtained today.

The timelines show what Toyota has said was a slow response that led to the recall of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide starting last year to repair the two types of acceleration- related defects.

The first report was from a model year 2005 Prius hybrid “regarding floor mat interference with an accelerator pedal,” according to the documents, which were sent by the carmaker to the safety agency.

Read more: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-08/toyota-documents-show-it-knew-of-accelerator-defects-in-2006.html