Recall memos up stakes for Toyota

Documents released in the US have shown that Toyota knew of safety problems with some of its vehicles as early as last June, and lobbied US regulators to head off an investigation.

One internal company memo uncovered by congressional investigators showed Toyota officials boasting of saving $100m by limiting the extent of vehicle recalls.

The documents also cite efforts to delay safety regulations, avoid investigations, and stall industry requirements.

The latest development in Toyota's safety crisis came as the company's president arrived in Washington to prepare for a congressional hearing on Wednesday, in a bid to salvage the Japanese car giant's dented reputation.

The memos are among thousands that a congressional committee has requested in a subpoena of Dimitrios Biller, who worked as a US lawyer for Toyota from 2003 to 2007.

'Hiding evidence'

Biller said the internal company documents show the firm was hiding evidence of safety defects from consumers and regulators

In a document referring to important security issues, Toyota mentioned "sudden accelerations" on some of its vehicles, showing the company was aware of such problems in July of last year.

Toyota has recalled more than 8.5 million vehicles worldwide in recent months following a series of complaints and a slew of lawsuits linking vehicle flaws to 30 deaths across the US.

The problems include sticky accelerators, accelerators that can be pinned down by loose floor mats and a braking glitch affecting its hybrid models.

Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota Motor Corp, is due to face a hearing before the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday.