More blame is being placed on the corporate culture for the slow reaction by Toyota to recent safety concerns with many models.

Toyota had known about the gas-pedal problem for more than a year. Its silence with U.S. regulators, and other newly uncovered details from the crisis enveloping Toyota, reveal a growing rift between the Japanese auto maker and NHTSA, one of its top regulators. Regulators came to doubt Toyota’s commitment to addressing safety defects, according to interviews with federal officials and industry executives, and accounts of Toyota and NHTSA interactions the past year.

The heart of Toyota’s problem: Its secretive corporate culture in Japan clashed with U.S. requirements that auto makers disclose safety threats, people familiar with the matter say. The relationship soured even though Toyota had hired two former NHTSA officials to manage its ties with the agency.

Interestingly, some of the blame in this article is also placed on culture within which regulators in the United States operate.

Toyota for years has been one of the most difficult auto makers for regulators to deal with because it is resistant to being told what to do, said Joan Claybrook, a former NHTSA administrator who later became president of consumer-advocacy group Public Citizen until stepping down last year. But she also blamed the agency’s collaborative approach for undermining its role. “They have tremendous power and authority but they don’t tend to use it.”

Secretive Culture Led Toyota Astray. Kate Linebaugh, Dionne Searcey, Norihiko Shirouzu. Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.: Feb 10, 2010. pg. A.1