At least this is what House lawmakers believe. Rep. Henry Waxman, the chairman of the committee investigating the recall, accused Toyota of hiring a consulting firm to review electronic defects, instead of actually finding problems.
"Toyota has repeatedly told the public that it has conducted extensive testing of its vehicles for electronic defects. We can find no basis for these assertions," Waxman said according to MSNBC. "Toyota's assertions may be good public relations, but they don't appear to be true."
The consulting firm hired by Toyota, Exponent, conducts research, scientific and engineering analysis and provides expert testimony and reports for companies facing product disputes, government regulation and lawsuits, as USA Today reports.
Exponent is being regarded in the US as the champion of the automakers, having defended so far several manufacturers. On the list of companies they testified for is Ford, which they defended during the infamous Ford Explorer roll-over case.
Waxman says Exponent working for Toyota "raises questions about the path Toyota has taken to date." The firm is, in his view, "a firm that seems to specialize in how to handle lawsuits."
Exponent replied to the accusations in a letter to USA Today.
"Most of our clients want to know what happened (in a product problem) as determined by rigorous engineering and/or scientific analysis of the facts. The client is then in the best situation to decide how to proceed."
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