In response to what the United States government believes was the mishandling of vehicle recalls, former U.S. Attorney David Kelley has been appointed as a monitor to help supervise Toyota Motor Corp.'s handling of safety issues.
The move comes after the unintended acceleration default in a number of its vehicles forced a massive recall, which has put the company into the spotlight over how it responded to the problem.
The confirmation of the U.S. Justice Department's appointment of Kelley was made by Japan-based Toyota spokesperson Keisuke Kirimoto. The announcement of Kelley, who was co-chairman of the Justice Department's investigations of the 9/11 attacks, should help bring the company on par with safety regulations and ensuring drivers understand the safety issues at hand.
Kirimoto said the automaker fully expects to have "a cooperative and constructive working relationship with Mr. Kelley."
Kelley now is a New York-based partner at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP. Before that, he was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2003 to 2005 and previously he was co-chairman of the Justice Department's investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
He is expected to look closely at the Japanese car company's policies and safety procedures and will review its public statements for accuracy.
In March, Toyota paid a $1.2 billion penalty after it admitted it misled American consumers in 2009 and 2010 concerning the problem over sudden, unintended acceleration. Kelley's appointment is part of that settlement where he will act as an observer of the company's continued efforts to inform the public on safety issues with its vehicles.
Over the past year, millions of vehicles have been recalled due to safety issues, Tech Times reports. Leading the recalls has been GM, which saw an ignition switch default leave over a dozen people dead. Its response has been slow and under much criticism after government officials claimed the company was not doing enough to inform its customers.
Still, despite GM's failure to inform the public with speed and transparency and other automakers facing public scrutiny over the recalls, sales of vehicles have remained high. According to sales reports issued by Ford and Toyota, both companies have seen a surge in sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) being purchased.
For Toyota, the effort to ensure it is transparent in its dealings with customers is paramount. The company hopes that Kelley's entrance into the efforts to deliver can help push the company forward and regain the trust of the public for its vehicles.
