Private Insurer State Farm, which has raised questions about a trend in accidents involving Toyota Motor Corp vehicles, said on Friday it first notified US safety regulators of concerns more than three years earlier than previously thought.
State Farm, the largest auto insurer in the United States, had said in early February that it reported what it saw as a worrying trend in claims activity to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as far back as late 2007.
However, prompted by the public interest in Toyota, the insurer reviewed its records again and has now found that it contacted safety regulators initially in February 2004, State Farm spokesman Phil Supple said in an emailed statement.
The US House Energy and Commerce Committee on Feb 9 asked insurance companies including State Farm to provide information about consumer complaints of unintended acceleration in some Toyota vehicles.
The committee is scheduled to hold on Tuesday the first of two hearings next week into complaints involving Toyota vehicles.
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