In a letter to former Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe, Japanese union members warned that the company's aggressive cost cutting was "sacrificing safety" by limiting auto testing. The workers, identified as members of a "small, dissident labor union," also accused the company of hiring "amateur" contract workers," the Web site of the Financial Times reported on Wednesday (March 11).

The letter was sent, FT.com reported, as concerns about auto defects were peaking at Toyota. Two years later, Toyota overtook General Motors as the world's largest car maker.

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda acknowledged in congressional testimony in February that the company's "priorities became confused" in its drive for global market share. "We pursued growth over the speed at which we were able to develop our people and our organization," Toyoda said.