Toyota Motor Corp. will pay $29 million as part of a multi-state settlement agreement finalized on Thursday over the Japanese automaker’s failure to quickly notify drivers of defects that wound up triggering the biggest safety crisis in history.
The payment, to be doled out to attorneys general of 29 states and one U.S. territory, is part of the $1.1 billion Toyota agreed to pay in December to compensate consumers who lost value on their cars due to sudden, unintended acceleration.
As part of Thursday’s deal, Toyota will also maintain its rapid-response centers and quality field offices in the United States to recoup Toyota drivers affected by its recalls for the cost of rental cars and public transportation.
The move is another step by Toyota to move past its safety crisis, which began in 2009 and forced the company to recall about 16 million Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles sold in the United States.