- Congress wants to review a memo that details some concerns of Toyota workers.
- The memo was written in 2006 by the company's union workers in Japan.
- The complaints included reduced testing of vehicles for safety and quality.
WASHINGTON — Congress wants Toyota to hand over a memo written by the company's union workers in Japan in the fall of 2006 that raises concerns about the safety of Toyota vehicles.
The existence of the memo was first reported by the Los Angeles Times over the weekend. The newspaper says Toyota workers wrote a document to senior management listing concerns that the company was taking dangerous shortcuts to boost production. The complaints included reduced testing of vehicles for safety and quality. Toyota apparently never responded to the memo.
"If senior Toyota officials ignored important safety concerns raised by their own employees, it calls into question Toyota's corporate priorities and its commitment to safety," wrote Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, in a letter to Toyota North America President Yoshimi Inaba.
Towns wants Inaba to turn over the memo by Wednesday, March 10.
The committee is investigating the recent recall of millions of Toyotas due to sudden unintended acceleration. "As part of this inquiry, the committee is looking into whether Toyota ignored important warnings, such as the reported safety memo, regarding the safety of its vehicles," Towns wrote.
Inside Line says: Congress continues to turn up the heat on Toyota. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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kachok says:
07:48 AM, 03/10/2010
Toyota used to build the best car going, but they have been sliping over the past several years. Now it is biting them in the butt. Hopefully they go back to the build quality that made them the #1 car company in the world.
tbone85 says:
07:07 PM, 03/09/2010
"Toyota is better off moving this to the courts where there is due process and both sides are obliged to present credible evidence and cross-examine witnesses instead of this Congressional farce."
I'm not sure Toyota can dictate what happens or opt out of a Congressional inquiry.
aston_dbs says:
12:34 PM, 03/09/2010
Mmmmhhh... After a while, all these Toyota 'recall' is looking more and more fishy...
Seemed like a conspiracy... or perhaps like a sabotage...
And so many people trying to 'milk' the cow...
Just my 2 cents...
jeremy_c says:
11:26 AM, 03/09/2010
And how did we draw the conclusion that Toyota's management never responded to the memo. They could have responded by action, interviewing the workers, implementing changes without necessarily answering in a memo in writing or wasting time with a big fancy presentation or speech to the workers? If I complaint to management that I want a raise but don't get one, can Congress help me too?
Congress and the pundits are seeing only the evidence they want to see. Toyota is better off moving this to the courts where there is due process and both sides are obliged to present credible evidence and cross-examine witnesses instead of this Congressional farce.
Again not a Toyota fan but this is a bigger farce than the OJ Simpson trial.