Toyota exec urged company to 'come clean'

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the days leading up to its massive recall in January, Toyota executives debated when they should inform the public about safety problems with accelerator pedals, prompting one executive to urge the company to "come clean," according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Irv Miller, Toyota's then-group vice president for environment and public affairs, warned his colleagues in an e-mail on Jan. 16, 2010: "We are not protecting our customers by keeping this quiet. The time to hide on this one is over. We need to come clean."

Five days later, Toyota announced it would recall 2.3 million vehicles to address sticking pedals on popular vehicles such as the Camry and Corolla.

As Toyota deals with a spate of recalls, the e-mail reveals serious concerns within the Japanese company's public relations leadership that it wasn't dealing with the safety problems squarely and could be inflicting damage to its long-standing reputation for safety and quality.

Months earlier, in September 2009, the automaker had announced a recall of more than 4 million vehicles to replace gas pedals that could get stuck in floor mats and cause sudden acceleration.