The money will go into the U.S. Treasury’s Fund.

Back in April Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the fine against Toyota for failing to immediately notify the government when the automaker learned it was having similar accelerator problems with its cars in other countries. 

Toyota had said it would pay the fine, without admitting any guilt in the matter.

The multi-million dollar fine was the largest ever brought against an automaker by the government.

Since last fall Toyota has recalled 9 millions vehicles around the world, with 6 million of them in the United States.

The company faces hundreds of lawsuits stemming from the sudden acceleration of its vehicles, such as the Camry.

Judge James Selna, sitting in Santa Ana, Calif., conceded that resolving the dozens of cases is daunting, but he added that it was a “doable task,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

One of the matters Selna will have to decide is which of the roughly 100 plaintiffs attorneys will take a lead role in the litigation. Those lawyers will share in an estimated $500 million in legal fees stemming from the cases, which make Toyota potentially liable for billions of dollars in damages.

The lawyers for Toyota recommended that the lawsuits be divided up depending on what the plaintiff alleges caused the sudden, and sometimes deadly, acceleration of the vehicles. Such reasons would include gas pedals getting stuck on mats and electronic bugs.

The judge was also warned that the court might have as evidence Japanese engineering documents that will be hard to translate into English.

So far Toyota has recalled 8 million vehicles around the world after the acceleration problem surfaced.

Selna didn’t make any decisions Thursday. On Wednesday, the judge surprised lawyers when he issued an order saying that he planned to the number of lawyers in key roles, according to The Journal.

The judge set the next hearings for May 28 and June 25. 

 In a statement Friday the magazine said that the recall work had corrected the problem that caused the SUV to fail an emergency handling test. The SUV was retested and performed well, passing the test. http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/05/video-lexus-gx-460-passes-retest-consumer-reports-lifts-dont-buy-label.html

 Toyota quickly put out its own statement. http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/lexus/2010-lexus-gx-460-passes-consumer-158171.aspx

 “We’re pleased that Consumer Reports announced this morning that they are lifting the Don’t Buy: Safety Risk designation from the 2010 Lexus GX 460 after the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC)  update addressed their prior concern,” said Mark Templin, Lexus Group vice president and general manager.

 “When Consumer Reports announced on April 13 that the 2010 GX 460 did not pass their ‘Throttle Lift-Off’ test, we immediately stopped selling the vehicle and commenced a vigorous investigation,” Templin said. “Thanks to the quick response and hard work by our engineers, we were able to identify and address the issue in just about two weeks.”

 The magazine had given the 2010 Lexus GX 460 the thumbs-down because of its poor performance, and possible rollover, during turns made at high speeds.

 “Lexus recently duplicated the problem on its own test track and developed a software upgrade for the vehicle’s electronic stability control (ESC) system that would prevent the problem from happening,” Consumer Reports said. “Dealers received the software fix last week and began notifying GX 460 owners to bring their vehicles in for repair.”

Consumer Reports brought back the GX 460 it bought anonymously back to the dealer for the repairs.

“Following that, we again put the SUV through our full series of emergency handling tests,” Consumer Reports said. “This time, the ESC system intervened earlier and its rear did not slide out in the lift-off over steer test. Instead, the vehicle understeered — or plowed — when it exceeded its limits of traction, which is a more common result and makes the vehicle more predictable and less likely to roll over. Overall, we did not experience any safety concerns with the corrected GX 460 in our handling tests.”

Still, Consumer Reports comments on the fixed SUV were not exactly a glowing endorsement. 

“With the fix, the GX 460’s handling is ultimately secure but is still ponderous and ungainly, as is common with traditional body-on-frame SUVs,” Consumer Reports said. “In addition, the vehicle rides comfortably, has a plush, quiet, interior, and provides quick acceleration, but its third-row seat is cramped. Overall, there are better choices if you’re looking for a seven-passenger SUV, including the Acura MDX and Buick Enclave.To help buyers see how the GX 460 compares with competitive vehicles, we are also posting our ratings and full road test of it today.”

In a Page One story headlined “Lawyers Wrestle Over Driver’s Seat in Litigation Against Toyota,” The Journal reports that attorneys who represent plaintiffs against Toyota must filed applications with a judge in order to get the cherished spot heading up the ligitation for those who are suing. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704342604575222453681321376.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_6

More than 75 federal lawsuits againt Toyota have been filed by more than 100 lawyers, according to The Journal.

 The cases have been consolidated and will be heard before Judge James Selna in Santa Ana, Calif. He is the one getting the applications for lead counsel for the plaintiffs.

The first hearing on the consolidated cases is coming up, on May 13, and dozens of lawyers are eager to see who Selna will choose to take charge of the plaintiffs’ cases.

Toyota’s liability in the suits, which stem from sometimes deadly acceleration problems in cars like the Camry, could add up to billions of dollars. And The Journal estimates that only a few of the plaintiffs’ attorneys will get most of $500 million in fees for their legal work.

One attorney filed an application that is 114 pages, while another submitted an application with 13 exhibits, The Journal reported.     

It’s a good inside story about the business of  law. 

Wednesday’s recall of 50,000 Sequoias follows in the wake of last week’s recall and halt of sales of the 2010 Lexus GX 460. Toyota took action on the GX 460 after Consumer Reports deemed that SUV unsafe because of issues with its vehicle stability control system.

In Toyota’s Wednesday announcement, the automaker said it needed to upgrade the program logic in the vehicle stability control system in the Sequoia.

Since November Toyota has recalled more than 9 million vehicles, an action mainly prompted by accelerator pedals sticking on several of its models, including the popular Camry. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/business/29toyota.html?scp=1&sq=Sequoia&st=Search

The issues with the SUVs is the vehicle stability control system, which helps control a loss of traction in on the front or rear tire as a car turns a corner. 

“In vehicles without the upgrade, the stability control system could, in limited situations, activate at low speed (about 9 mph) for a few seconds after acceleration from a stopped position and, as a  result, the vehicle may not accelerate as quickly as the driver expects,” Toyota said in Wednesday’s announcement. “There have been no reported injuries or accidents as a result of this condition.

Toyota instituted a running production change during the 2003 model year, and since that time, Toyota has been responding to individual owner concerns by replacing the Skid Control Engine Control Unit in Sequoias impacted by this condition.  Of the roughly 50,000 vehicles included in this recall, about half have already been serviced under warranty. 

Starting in late May, Toyota will begin mailing letters to all 2003 Model-Year Sequoia owners included in this recall, including owners of vehicles that have been previously serviced. http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/lexus/update-for-gx-460-recall-now-available-157680.aspx

 On Thursday Toyota said that its software update for the 2010 GX 460 was available at Lexus dealerships, and that it was resuming sales of the SUV.

 “We are confident that the update will make the performance of the GX even better for our customers,” Mark Templin, Lexus Group Vice President and general manager, said in a prepared statement.

 Toyota Monday recalled its Lexus GX 460, just a week after Consumer Reports magazine deemed the luxury SUV unsafe. The automaker will be fixing a problem with the SUV’s stability control system. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/business/global/21iht-toyota.html?ref=business

 The recall involves 9,400 2010 Model Year Lexus GX 460 to update software in the SUV’s Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system. http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/lexus/toyota-announces-voluntary-recall-157109.aspx

 The VSC system helps control a loss of traction in turns as a result of front or rear-wheel slippage during cornering.

 The Lexus GX 460 is the second Toyota recall in a week. Last Friday, it recalled its 600,000 Sienna minivans because of a problem with the vehicle’s spare tire carrier cable.

 Counting its prior recalls of Camrys for defective accelerator pedals, Toyota has recalled more than 9 million vehicles since November, according to The New York Times.

 Toyota issued a press release Monday on the voluntary recall of the Lexus GX 460.

  “Since it was launched more than 20 years ago, Lexus has built its reputation on customer respect and concern for safety,” Mark Templin, Lexus Group vice president and general manager, said in a statement. “With the news from Consumer Reports that our 2010 GX 460 did not pass its ‘Throttle Lift-Off’ test, we immediately stopped selling the vehicle and commenced vigorous testing to identify and correct the issue.”  http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/lexus/lexus-announces-plans-to-recall-157111.aspx

 Describing the recall, Templin said, “We have developed a remedy that will be quickly implemented to help address customer concerns….We will begin implementing this program in the next two weeks and our dealers will be reaching out to customers shortly to set up appointments to make this modification.

 Lexus dealers will have the VSC software update by the end of April. The updates should take about an hour for dealers to install.

 Starting in early May, Lexus will begin mailing letters to GX 460 owners included in the recall. Lexus will provide a courtesy vehicle to anyone who has purchased a 2010 GX 460 and has concerns about driving it until the recall work has been completed.

 Toyota made the announcement about its latest vehicle recall the same day it said that it would pay a $16.4 million fine, the largest government fine ever against an automaker, for hiding information about its sticking accelerator pedals.

 U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the news about Toyota, which has not admitted any wrongdoing. But the automaker merely paying the fine levied by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration doesn’t clear Toyota if any civil or criminal actions, according to The New York Times.

 The $16.4 million fine is the largest permitted under the law.

 Toyota released its own statement Monday. http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota-motor-corporation-agrees-157093.aspx

 “We agreed to this settlement in order to avoid a protracted dispute and possible litigation, as well as to allow us to move forward fully-focused on the steps to strengthen our quality assurance operations,” the automaker said.

 “This will allow us to focus on delivering safe, reliable, high quality vehicles for our customers and responding to consumer feedback with honesty and integrity,” the statement said. “These have been core Toyota values for 70 years, and we pledge to make an even greater effort to adhere to this philosophy now and in the future.  We also welcome a new, more transparent chapter in our relationship with NHTSA, consistent with our commitments to Congress and the American people.”

 In a case of we-think-he-doeth-protest-too-much, Toyota went on.

  ”We regret that NHTSA tentatively concluded that they should seek a civil penalty. Toyota denies NHTSA’s allegation that it violated the Safety Act or its implementing regulations,” Toyota said in its statement.

 “We believe we made a good faith effort to investigate this condition and develop an appropriate counter-measure.  We have acknowledged that we could have done a better job of sharing relevant information within our global operations and outside the company, but we did not try to hide a defect to avoid dealing with a safety problem.

 Both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating Toyota over the sudden-acceleration recall

 Toyota knew about the acceleration problem and defective gas pedals for several months before ordering a recall in January.

 Toyota’s problems seem endless. Last Friday the company halted sales of its Lexus GX 460 after Consumer Reports magazine deemed the vehicle unsafe.

 And the automaker Friday said it would recall 600,000 Sienna minivans regarding a problem with a cable that holds a spare tire.