From late 2009 to early 2011, Toyota recalled nearly 19 million vehicles globally related to unintended acceleration claims. In 2010, Toyota President Akio Toyoda apologized for the company’s handling of the recalls and said he would insist on customer safety first.
Toyota was fined $17.35 million in December 2012 for being slow on a recall, still the single highest civil penalty ever paid to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for violations stemming from a recall.
In July 2013, a U.S. judge approved a settlement valued at more than $1.6 billion to resolve economic-loss claims resulting from the alleged safety defects. The company is still trying to settle related personal-injury lawsuits.
Toyota spokesman John Hanson said on Thursday the company has informed NHTSA of the fire retardation problem and would file an official report outlining the noncompliance with the standard. He added that Toyota did not feel a recall was necessary.
The petition that Toyota will file with NHTSA says the problem is “inconsequential” in terms of vehicle safety, even though the cars are no longer being sold by dealers because they do not meet U.S. safety standards, he said.
The U.S. safety agency said it was aware of the upcoming petition and would seek public comment once it had been filed.
“NHTSA is monitoring the risk associated with this noncompliance and will evaluate Toyota’s petition once it is received,” the agency said in an emailed statement. “As always, safety is our top priority and NHTSA will take appropriate action as warranted.”
Affected vehicles are the 2012-2014 Camry mid-sized sedan and Camry hybrid; 2013-2014 Avalon sedan, Avalon hybrid, Sienna minivan, and Tacoma pickup truck; and 2014 Corolla subcompact and Tundra pickup truck equipped with seat heaters that have been sold since August 2012, when the fabric supplier was changed, Hanson and NHTSA said.