Executives of Toyota sought question the credibility of the people who testified before Congress on the problems of acceleration sudden in the company vehicles, according to a report by the official Washington Post.
The Post reported that obtained documents, according to which, Toyota sought structuring a public relations campaign, which in part was based on surveys which questioned the integrity of two witnesses. These surveys are usually used by businesses and politicians to test the weaknesses of their opponents.
Toyota has requested the return of more than eight million vehicles throughout the world to repair problems of sudden acceleration.
The Post identified the witnesses as they are Kane, security consultant of Massachusetts, and David Gilbert, professor of automotive technology. Each has criticized the handling of the problem by Toyota.
Government investigators have asked officials of Toyota if the company had made a campaign to discredit the witnesses, according to the report.
In response, Toyota pointed out to the Post that never produced ads based on surveys, and that Gilbert and Kane have made “allegations” that “generated a concern unjustified in consumers”.
The survey was conducted by Joel Benenson, who is also the main responsible for conducting surveys for the president Barack Obama.
The Commission of Energy and Trade in the House of Representatives has requested that the automotive group delivers all documents related to this case.