The US on Tuesday slapped a record 17.35 million fine on the world's biggest automaker, Toyota Motor Corporation, for "failing" to report safety defects to regulators within five days as required by federal law.
The amount sought by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would be the 'largest civil penalty ever assessed' against an auto maker by the auto safety agency, according to the US department of transportation.
Toyota has asked 3.8 million vehicle owners of seven popular models to remove the floor mat of their car that could jam the accelerator pedal and cause a crash.
22 million vehicles recalled in 2013: US safety agency
Nearly a decade ago, the first fully electric vehicle (EV) caught fire on the road in the US. It was a model from Tesla, the world's most admired EV maker. A metal fragment punctured the underbelly of the vehicle, penetrating its battery pack, leading to a fire. Indian lawmakers and automakers have had nine years to study the incident (in fact, three Tesla Model Ss caught fire in two months in 2013) but seem to have learnt little.
Indian roads are far more unsafe than its railways. A sense of urgency is required to tackle India's embarrassing record on road safety.
The cars, some 482,000 Passats, Golfs and Jettas sold in model years 2009 to 2015 in the United States, are peppy and fun to drive, owners say.
Earlier this year, Toyota Motor Corp was fined $1.2 billion for concealing problems related to sudden acceleration of some of its vehicles.
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