Toyota has been doing so for decades. If the NHTSA officials deliberately ignored possible safety violations in Toyota vehicles, their effect upon the economy would be twofold: firstly, of course, is the problem of the obvious safety hazard this poses for drivers. Second, because Toyota was insulated from bad publicity regarding its brand, unlike American car manufactures, this gave Toyota an unfair competitive advantage and must be cited as one of the many reasons for the faltering of the American 'Big Three' in the marketplace. Toyota built its brand name on its superior quality, but clearly this 'branding' was false, now that the long-hidden truth has been revealed. Still, Toyota has been so effective in transmitting its message of quality, some consumers see the serious safety problems as only a small hiccup in Toyota's history -- not part of a larger problem at the company.

Due to Toyota's influence on Congress, inequitable Japanese trade practices have continued in the automotive industry, including Japan's rampant protectionism, with little opposition. According to the article, while Japan has built Japanese auto plants and auto supply plants...

soil, it has not reciprocated by allowing American manufactures to do the same in Japan, "in total violation of WTO [World Trade Organization] laws" (Cullen 2010). Cullen even raises troubling questions about the pro-Japanese bias of respected consumer safety rating agencies such as Consumer Reports, which gave glowing reviews to Toyota vehicles until the recall (after which it suddenly advised consumers not to buy Toyota's most recent Lexus-brand SUV). Additionally, "JD Powers and Associates has had a conflict of interest by working for Nissan Motors in holding training sessions for Nissan Motors employees" (Cullen 2010). In the wake of these objections, given the taint upon government regulators, politicians, and supposedly independent organization, the question arises: who can a driver trust, and how can the system be reformed to protect consumers rather than conglomerates?
Reference

Cullen, Elaine. (2010, February 10). "Toyota ethics problems indication of larger Japanese government ethics problems." Current Political Scene. Retrieved April 30, 2010 at http://www.currentpoliticalscene.com/2010/02/toyota-ethics-problems-indication-of.html