Beleaguered Toyota has said it will fit all new models with a safety system that cuts engine power to prevent runaway car accidents behind its global recall of millions of vehicles.
Toyota, its image for reliability battered by the crisis, also said its chief Akio Toyoda would head a task force to improve quality control and enable the group to respond more quickly to reports of defects.
The new brake over-ride system to be introduced worldwide would cut engine power when the accelerator and brake pedal are depressed at the same time.
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Accidents blamed on unintended acceleration have been linked to more than 30 deaths in the United States, where the world's biggest car maker faces a host of class action lawsuits that could cost it billions of dollars.
Toyoda said his company had never covered up safety problems, as Washington probes whether it was quick enough to recall vehicles with possible defects.
"If problems are detected, we will not be evasive. We have not withheld information and we shall not do so in the future," Toyoda, the grandson of the company's founder, told a news conference.
Toyoda, when asked whether he would attend a February 24 US congressional hearing into the recalls, said he would instead give "maximum support" to his senior executives.
He said that the company's North America chief Yoshimi Inaba and other executives have "my highest trust. I am sure they are well equipped to well respond to the questions and concerns of congressmen."
Toyota is also investigating a possible defect in the power steering of its best-selling Corolla model and will recall it if found to be faulty, executive vice president Shinichi Sasaki said.
"If this is a defect, we will start recalls," he said. "We are in the process of investigating, but the number of complaints is less than 100."
