Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Toyota president Akio Toyoda said Thursday he will testify at a congressional hearing next week about the automaker's massive recalls in the United States, meeting face to face with lawmakers after enduring criticism that he responded too slowly to the company's safety crisis.

More than 70 years ago, Toyota entered the auto business based on a simple, but powerful, principle: that Toyota would build the highest-quality, safest and most reliable automobiles in the world. The company has always put the needs of our customers first and made the constant improvement of our vehicles a top priority. That is why 80 percent of all Toyotas sold in the United States over the past 20 years are still on the road today. When consumers purchase a Toyota, they are not simply purchasing a car, truck or van. They are placing their trust in our company....

TOYOTA has offered a 'heartfelt apology" to customers over concerns about its accelerators and brakes and has assured the public that its cars are safe. The company is in a "moment of crisis" over the recall of eight million cars, the president of the world's largest car maker said last night, finally addressing a widely condemned refusal to break his silence on the issue. The company also admitted that it knew as long ago as last summer that its accelerator pedals were defective and had begun ordering their replacement five months before telling the public that the components represented a...

<p>NAGOYA, Japan—Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corp., broke his public silence Friday on the safety crisis battering his company, offering a "heartfelt apology" to customers, but offering little new on what steps the auto maker will take to resolve the doubts of car owners and lawmakers in the U.S.</p>

TOKYO – Toyota's president apologized Friday for the massive global recalls over sticking gas pedals as the automaker scrambles to repair a damaged reputation and sliding sales. But Akio Toyoda, appointed to the top job at Toyota Motor Corp. last June, said the company is still deciding what steps to take to fix brake problems in the popular Prius gas-electric hybrid. Speaking at a hastily announced news conference that lasted an hour, a stern-looking Toyoda promised to beef up quality control. "We are facing a crisis," he said, publicly confronting the automaker's safety problems for the first time since the...

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Wednesday said he wants to talk directly with Toyota Motor Corp Chief Executive Akio Toyoda about the safety concerns involving Toyota cars and the company's handling of those issues. "This is very serious," Mr. LaHood said at a breakfast with reporters in Washington. "After I talk with him, they'll get it. We're going to keep the pressure on." Mr. LaHood also defended the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's handling of invesitgations into reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles. The NHTSA "stepped up here," he said. Some safety advocates have questioned why NHTSA didn't...