Toyota Hit with $17 Million Fine for Slow Recall

Toyota Motor Corp. has been fined $17 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for failing to quickly report that floor mats in some of its vehicles could jam the accelerator pedal.

It's the fourth NHTSA penalty for such infractions levied against Toyota in two years.

The latest fine the largest currently allowable under federal law stems from Toyota's recall in June 2011 of 154,100 of its 2010 model Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h crossover vehicles. NHTSA says Toyota knew of the floor mat problem a year earlier, in part from reports by its own technicians and dealers.

Toyota agreed to pay the fine but has not admitted any violation of the law that requires carmakers to report safety issues within five business days of their discovery.

In 2010 the carmaker paid nearly $49 million in NHTSA fines for failing to quickly report three flaws that prompted recalls covering more than 14 million vehicles to fix faulty accelerator pedal mechanisms, floor mats and steering relay rods.