February 24: Kaptur Denounces Toyota for Lax Safety
February 24, 2010
Congresswoman Kaptur, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, charged the automaker with failing to act on warnings from consumers about safety defects in Toyota vehicles. Brandishing a copy of "The Toyota Way," a book by Jeffrey Liker, Kaptur asked Mr. Toyoda, "How did Toyota lose its way?"She noted that the book is widely used in business schools around the world as an example of successful management, but that Toyota in fact "went from emphasizing long-term values and corporate responsibility to fighting against safety regulations, against environmental regulations, and against worker rights."
"I am disappointed," she said. "Is it the 'Toyota way' to use insider dealing to influence decisions and push a deregulation agenda that works against the people of our own country?"
Mr. Toyoda said he was sincerely sorry for the deaths and pledged his company would do better in the future.
Earlier in the hearing, Congresswoman Kaptur questioned Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood about the level of cooperation from transportation safety regulators in responding to concerns about Toyota products.