An internal document from 2009 seems to indicate that Toyota Motor Corp. saved in excess of $100 million by pressing regulators in the United States to accept an inexpensive fix for unintended acceleration issues in given models.

The document, turned over to lawmakers and published on Sunday, February 21, 2010 shows that Toyota officials praised the monetary savings resulting from their success in getting safety officials to terminate a 2007 investigation of the acceleration problem by accepting a floor mat recall as the solution.

In a statement released Sunday, Toyota continued to insist it was conducting a comprehensive internal review of all operations relative to the matter. The statement read in part, "Our first priority is the safety of our customers, and to conclude otherwise on the basis of one internal presentation is wrong."

The Department of Transportation, quoted in a Reuters story published by Automotive News described the internal corporate document as "very telling," and indicative of the company's slow response to safety issues.

Later this week, Toyota president Akio Toyoda will testify before Congress in an effort both to address the concern of regulators and to repair his company's damaged public reputation. Toyota has recalled some 8.5 million vehicles globally, including some models of its highly popular Prius hybrid.