Japanese automaker Toyota (TM) announced that it has agreed to pay a record $32.4 million in further fines to the U.S. government to settle an investigation into the way it handled recent recalls.

The company's board of directors agreed to the fines Monday at its board meeting in Japan, and it will not admit to any violations of U.S. laws. Unfortunately for Toyota, this move will not exempt the company from potential civil and criminal penalties in private lawsuits and other federal investigations.

Toyota (TM) is going to recall 412,000 cars in the U.S. to fix steering problems, according to Reuters. The report notes that 373,000 of the automobiles are Avalon sedans from the 2000 through 2004 model years and 39,000 are LX470 SUVs from model years 2003 through 2007. The automaker announced that the steering lock bar in the Avalon could break "under certain conditions," while the LX470s are being recalled to "eliminate the risk of steering shaft disengagement."

The company said that it has received three accident reports involving the Avalon and none involving the LX470. Nevertheless, the automaker is trying to fix these problems, which are the latest in a series of recalls this year.

Toyota Motor (TM) was back in the news Wednesday with additional recalls. This time the recall involves its Sequoia sports utility vehicle due to concerns regarding the stability control on the 2003 model year. This is the second time this month that the company has recalled some of its SUVs.

The back's stability control system is supposed to correct a loss of traction in the front or rear tires when the SUV enters a corner. There have been reports that the system activated when the vehicle was moving at slow speed and resulted in drivers not being able to accelerate, and in some cases the brakes coming on and slowing the SUV down unexpectedly.

More bad news for Japanese auto maker Toyota Motor Corp. (TM), with the company announcing that it was recalling around 600,000 Sienna minivans sold in the United States.

The latest in a string of safety concerns involves potentially rusted spare tire cables that could break, allowing the minivan's spare tire to bust loose and tumble into the road.

Earlier this week Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) took another hit to its public relations when Consumer Reports hit one of its new SUV models, the Lexus GX 460, with a 'Don't Buy' rating. Toyota announced today that in light of the concerns over the Lexus SUV it would be running safety tests on all of its SUVs to reassure Toyota drivers that their vehicles are indeed safe.

The concern comes from tests that Consumer Reports ran on the Lexus GX 460 that showed the SUV was a rollover risk. The electronic stabilizer that was supposed to correct the SUV from spinning out was not kicking in as quickly as it should be.

Friday morning, Toyota Motor (TM) announced that it will temporarily stop production at some factories in France and the UK thanks to dwindling demand for its vehicles in the region.

The company will stop production late this month and the freeze will last "at least" 12 days. The decision means that the company will suspend production at the French and UK plants at the same time as two plants in the United States. The U.S. closure will last as long as two weeks and is hoped to prevent inventory levels from piling up thanks to the recalls.

Bright and early Friday morning, The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported that Toyota Motor (TM) has asked ABC News, a division of Disney (DIS), to issue a public retraction and formal apology for last month's "irresponsible broadcast" that reportedly showed how electronic problems led to unintended acceleration for Toyota vehicles.

Toyota believes ABC used footage that created "the false and misleading impression with viewers of a dangerous and uncontrolled acceleration" when dealing with a Toyota Avalon sedan. According to the article, Toyota contends that "ABC News chose fear-mongering over public service." ABC stated that it has received the letter and that its lawyers are reviewing it and preparing a response.

"Everyone likes to find a bargain, and those of us that invest in stocks are no different; I am always on the lookout for great a company trading at a healthy discount," says Ian Wyatt.

In his Top Stock Insights, he explains, "If we have learned anything from the past few years it's that good companies can have bad quarters and see their stock price fall.

"When I'm bargain hunting I will always keep in mind two things. First, why is the stock trading at a discount? Second, can the company recover? If the company can recover from the problem quickly, then I will buy that stock. Such is the case with Toyota Motor Company (TM).

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, some of the recalled and repaired Toyota (TM) cars may be having more issues. Supposedly, some of the cars that have already been repaired are now having a problem with sudden acceleration. This problem has been reported in either 15 or 10 drivers (depending on which article you read), but it's enough to cause a bit of a stir.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), which received the complaints, said that it wants to know about any further acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles. According to the Associated Press, Toyota is investigating the matter but is confident about the recall repairs it made.

Toyota Motor Company (TM) has definitely been feeling the impact of its current recall crisis. The company that once had a strong reputation for safe and reliable cars has seen that image tarnished, and the effects are being felt on the company's dealer lots.

February was a tough month for the company, and concerns over the safety of the company's vehicles led to a reported 8.7% dip in sales last month.

Toyota Motor Company (TM) continues to find itself in arguably the biggest crisis in the auto maker's history, and today more accusations were made against the company. The company is back in the news today with accusations that Toyota tried to hide data in lawsuits filed by Toyota drivers injured in crashes.

The accusation came from New York Democrat, Edolphus Towns. Towns stated that the company deliberately shielded some of its design and testing data, and in many instances settled lawsuits in order to avoid turning over the information.

The recent massive safety recalls by Toyota Motor Company (TM) have definitely hurt the company's image, and the uncertainty over the current safety of its vehicles has left many people wondering what exactly is going on with the Toyota recall. If people were concerned before, they are sure to be a bit more confused after a Toyota executive testified in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today that the recall may not "totally solve" the current problems.

Last week Toyota's president, Akio Toyoda, was asked to come before Congress and testify over the current safety recalls. Mr. Toyoda will answer questions tomorrow, but today it was James E. Lentz III, the president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., that had his chance to answer questions in front of Congress.

Toyota (TM) has been all over the news thanks to brake problems and subsequent recalls, and now the company is launching a bit of damage control.

Tuesday, Toyota had to recall 440,000 Prius and other hybrids thanks to brake problems, pushing the company's total global recall to 8.5 million cars and trucks. During the new conference, the company stated that it will "regain the confidence of our customers," trying to start a bit of damage control.

Toyota Motors (TM) has a problem. Accelerators on eight models of its cars can stick, causing the car to race forward. It's a dangerous problem, and many owners are afraid to drive their Camrys. This is the world's largest car company with one of the largest car recalls in history. Dealers are closed down for several weeks. New cars aren't being sold. And it's not only the drivers and dealers that are nervous. So are investors.

As a complete contrast, look at Ford (F). It announced a 25% increase in sales in January, selling 116,534 cars and trucks in one month, up from 93,506 same period last year. And most importantly, it was the new cars that lead the way, not SUV's or trucks. Cars were up 43% with SUVs ahead by 8%. Crossovers (the new station wagons, mini SUVs) increased by 20%, and trucks went ahead by 14%.