In that press release, it states that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA:
...learned through documents obtained from Toyota that the company knew of the sticky pedal defect since at least September 29, 2009. That day, Toyota issued repair procedures to their distributors in 31 European countries and Canada to address complaints of sticky accelerator pedals, sudden increases in engine RPM, and sudden vehicle acceleration. The documents also show that Toyota was aware that consumers in the United States were experiencing the same problems.
You are aware that the U.S. government fined Toyota a record almost $16.4 million for failing to give notice of the defect. Are you also aware that Toyota paid that fine rather than contest it? And why?