Toyota Motor Corp., the company that has paid the most in fines to the U.S. auto safety regulator, agreed to pay a $17.4 million civil penalty for delaying reports of a vehicle defect.
The new fine stems from a June recall for Lexus RX 350s and RX 450h vehicles where the accelerator pedal could catch on the driver's side floor mat, causing it to stick and accelerate when the driver didn't intend to. It's Toyota's second penalty since 2010 for delayed reporting of defects.
"It's critical to the safety of the driving public that manufacturers report safety defects in a timely manner," U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator David Strickland said Tuesday in a statement. "Every moment of delay has the potential to lead to deaths or injuries on our nation's highways."