On Tuesday, US regulators started a probe into whether or not had Toyota Motor Co. acted in a timely and responsible manner as far as recalling of cars for acceleration problems went. The automobiles manufacturer, in response, has slowed its production in order to try and avoid an expensive ballooning of inventories.

As has been confirmed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the group has requested production data, consumer complaints and other documents which could shed more light on how and when Toyota came to know about the problems affecting some 6 million vehicles which were later recalled from across the US.

The review by NHTSA could end up laying the groundwork for officials to slap a fine on Toyota if they end up discovering that the company had violated its legal obligations. Also, the review has set the stage for a congressional review of the automobile manufacturer's safety crisis which has been scheduled for next week.

"Toyota takes its responsibility to advance vehicle safety seriously and to alert government officials of any safety issue in a timely manner. We are reviewing NHTSA's request and will cooperate to provide all the information they have requested", Toyota spokeswoman Cindy Knight said.