Toyota Recall – Hearings before Congress attempt to determine if Toyota knew of defects and yet took no remedial action

Toyota Motor Corp. officials are under fire with questions from Congress during Senate hearings on the company’s worldwide recall of 8,500,000 vehicles. The hearings are underway on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

Toyota has attributed the problems to gas pedals that can get covered by floor mats. The gas pedals also stick due to design flaws. Safety experts have said the problem may be with the electronics inside the Toyota vehicles.

An estimated 52 deaths since 2000 have been linked to the sudden acceleration problem.  Toyota is also fixing 1.6 million cars due to oil hoses with leaks.

A large numbers of death and personal injury lawsuits are being investigation along with a criminal probe by federal prosecutors, an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and from the U.S. Transportation Department.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a branch of the Transportation Department, is demanding evidence and records to find out if electronic components were the cause of the automobile problems.