Toyota may be fined for violating safety requirements

Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. is likely to be fined for violating a safety requirement and recall of cars of its leading popular models, a government official said Monday.

According to Yoon Jin-hwan, the head of the transport ministry’s motor vehicles management division, the Japanese automaker has agreed to recall 5,232 vehicles of six models starting on March 27 for substandard materials surrounding seat heaters that can catch fire.

“The automaker will also be fined as it failed to meet safety requirements,” said Yoon.

The official said the automaker will likely be fined 150 million won ($141,500), or about one-one thousandth of its total sales in South Korea as stipulated in the law.

A fine is automatically imposed for safety violations, he said, but such cases are rare. In 2012, only 2 out of 187 vehicle recalls were safety-related, both of which were also subject to fines, according to the official. (Yonhap)