Toyoda, peppered with questions about the recall debacle that has rocked Toyota’s reputation, told lawmakers he was “deeply sorry” for accidents and injuries involving Toyota cars. He said the company had lost its way during a period of fast growth but vowed to steer it back to the values that made it a watchword for quality.
Cheered by Toyota plant workers and dealers at an event organized by the automaker on Wednesday evening, Toyoda broke into tears under a giant display bearing the name of the company that his legendary grandfather founded.
“I believe that Toyota has always worked for the benefit of the United States,” Toyoda said. “I tried to convey that message from the heart, but whether it was broadly understood or not, I don’t know.”
He also offered a sober assessment of the challenges still ahead: “We at Toyota are at a crossroad. We need to rethink everything about our operation.”
Toyoda’s appearance in Washington marked a dramatic peak in a safety crisis that broke a month ago with a series of recalls over unintended acceleration and braking problems that now include more than 8.5 million vehicles globally.
The costs of the recall are set to grow with an agreement with New York state to speed customer repairs and provide alternative transportation, a pact likely to expand to other states.
Toyoda’s efforts to reassure U.S. officials and consumers were undercut by a confrontation over a 2009 memo in which Toyota boasts of saving $100 million by persuading safety regulators to accept a relatively cheap recall of floor mats implicated in the unintended acceleration.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who preceded Toyoda before the committee, simply labeled recalled Toyota vehicles as “not safe.”
LaHood also repeated a criticism he had leveled before, saying Toyota had become “a little safety deaf” until U.S. regulators took the extraordinary step of dispatching a team to the automaker’s headquarters at the end of 2009.
Dressed in a gray, pinstriped suit, Toyoda said he, more than anyone, wanted Toyota cars to be safe. “My name is on every car,” Toyoda said in English before using a translator to answer questions.
