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WASHINGTON — Toyota Motor Corp. agreed today to pay two more safety fines for a total of $32.4 million, the maximum allowable under U.S. law, to settle federal investigations of whether the company notified regulators of safety defects in timely fashion.

The fines, in addition to an earlier $16.4 million levy paid to settle a similar probe, brings to $48.8 million the amount that Toyota has agreed to pay in civil penalties this year.

Each of the three fines was the maximum permitted under federal law at the time the alleged violations occurred. Together they dwarf safety penalties paid by any other automaker over the years.

One investigation settled today involved 2004-2005 recalls of light trucks for alleged loss of steering control. The other involved a 2007 floor-mat recall to address unintended acceleration caused by pedal entrapment.

Under the settlements, Toyota did not admit to any violation of its federal safety obligations.

“Toyota is pleased to have resolved these legacy issues related to the timeliness of prior recalls dating back to 2005,” Steve St. Angelo, Toyota’s Chief Quality Officer for North America, said in a statement. “As we have demonstrated in recent months, our North American operations now have a greater voice in making safety decisions, and we are taking appropriate action whenever any issues emerge.”

Other investigations

Toyota is still subject to additional fines and investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The company could face another possible fine in a probe of whether it viewed unintended acceleration defects too narrowly in four recalls between 2007 and January 2010, said a NHTSA official who declined to be identified.

That investigation, begun in February, is looking in part at how Toyota considered electronic interference as a possible cause of sudden acceleration, the NHTSA Web site says.

The probe is also addressing whether Toyota should have recalled additional models with electronic throttle control, according to the Web site.

Toyota has said that all cases of unintended acceleration stem from either floor mat entrapment or sticky gas pedals. Its tests have ruled out electronic interference as a possible cause, the company said.

Since November 2009, Toyota has recalled 15.5 million vehicles worldwide, most for unintended acceleration.

“I am pleased that Toyota agreed to pay the maximum possible penalty and I expect Toyota to work cooperatively in the future to ensure consumer safety,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

The biggest previous fine, before Toyota’s three penalties for more than $16 million apiece, was a $1 million fine paid by General Motors for windshield-wiper failure in vehicles made in 2002-2003.

As the weather turns colder, I always get a flurry of questions from customers who say their TPMS (Tire Pressure Management System) sensors have been activated telling them that one or more of their tires has experienced a drop in air pressure. Basically they go out to their car on one of the first colder mornings of the season and the warnings start. Understandably, these drivers are worried that one of their tires might have a leak, so they call or come to the shop to investigate. Don’t panic, I tell them. When the temperature drops significantly, your tire pressure can actually go down without losing any air at all. I’ll skip the physics lesson, but the warmer a tire is, the more pressure it will exhibit with the “same” volume of air inside. A sensitive TPMS sensor will see a drop in pressure with a drop in temperature. So before you freak out, fill your tires to the correct pressure, and give it a day. Chances are you are in the clear.

Source: autorepair.about.com/b/

DETROIT — General Motors Co. CEO Dan Akerson says the carmaker is studying how it could double or triple production of the new Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid should sales demand accelerate.

About 240,000 potential buyers have expressed an interest in the vehicle, but production in 2011 will be just 10,000 units. GM plans to build 45,000 Volts in calendar year 2012.

Speaking on the sidelines of the official Volt launch ceremony today at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, GM North America President Mark Reuss said that Volt production is constrained largely by vendor production of battery cells needed for the battery packs that GM assembles in suburban Detroit for the Volt.

He said GM could begin exporting Volts to Europe and elsewhere by late 2011. The European version would be the Opel Ampera.

GM global product chief Tom Stephens said GM also is considering a flex-fuel version of the Volt. He said that GM could have the version available in the 2012 model year if the carmaker pursues the program.

Using E85 fuel, the Volt would use extremely little gasoline, Stephens said. For one thing, most commuters can run on pure electric power to get to and from work. When the internal combustion engine is needed for longer trips, though, with E85, only 15 percent of the fuel is petroleum. The other 85 percent is ethanol, he said.

Beginning in December, GM plans to roll out the Volt in seven states over 12 months with limited supplies available for sale and demonstration at Chevrolet dealers. After that time, the Volt would be available nationally.

Akerson conceded today that GM stands to make little or no initial profit on the Volt. He said the carmaker can sell them “for close to cost.”

The Volt has a base price of $41,000, including shipping, before a $7,500 federal tax credit.

Frank Moultrie, shop chairman of UAW Local 22 representing 960 hourly workers at Detroit-Hamtramck, said there are no immediate plans to add a second shift at the plant. The plant builds the Volt and the Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne sedans. The DTS and Lucerne end in 2010.

On electricity alone, the Volt achieves the equivalent of 93 mpg. When powered solely by a 1.4-liter gasoline engine, the Volt gets 37 mpg.