A document, reported by The Detroit News on Sunday, has revealed that Toyota Motor (TM) has saved $100 million by negotiating with regulators for a limited recall of 2007 Toyota Camry and Lexus ES cars over a problem that could cause unintended acceleration. The recall was related to a September 2007 recall to secure floor mats that could trap the cars’ gas pedals.

The document is presented to the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, one of three panels holding hearings over the next two weeks on Toyota’s vehicle safety problems. The savings estimate, dated July 6, 2009, was provided in an internal Toyota document used as part of a company presentation on its government relations and was among a bullet-pointed list of “wins.” It was given by Yoshi Inaba, one of Toyota’s top North American executives.

A month after presenting this document, regulators in the U.S. were shaken after finding out a 2009 Lexus ES350 high-speed crash, killing a California Highway Patrol officer and three members of his family near San Diego, was caused by a rubber all-weather floor mat that could have covered the accelerator pedal and stopped its functioning.

The incident prompted Toyota to announce the largest-ever recall of 3.8 million vehicles in the U.S. in September last year. This was followed by several other recalls involving popular vehicles Incorporatedluding the Prius hybrid.

So far, Toyota has recalled 8.5 million vehicles around the world related to problems such as faulty accelerator gas pedals and slipping floor mats as well as faulty braking systems.

The carmaker’s chief executive, Akio Toyoda, is set to testify before the oversight panel on Wednesday. The House Energy and Commerce Committee opens the round of hearings on Tuesday, while a Senate committee will meet on Toyota next week.

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