The president of Toyota faced tough questioning from US politicians investigating the firm's handling of safety problems.

Akio Toyoda apologised for the recall of 8.5 million vehicles for accidents which occurred.

But under questioning, he insisted no faults had been discovered with the electronics of any of its vehicles.

Mr Toyoda has pledged to give his "full cooperation" to the US government investigation.

Earlier Congressional committee chairman Edolphus Towns said Toyota and regulators had "failed their customers" on safety.

And Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told the hearing that all vehicles which had been recalled were "not safe".

But he added that Mr Toyoda's scheduled appearance showed that world's biggest car maker was no longer "safety deaf" to complaints and concerns.

The reputation of Toyota has been severely damaged by a string of major problems across a range of vehicles.

The main issues have been faulty accelerator pedals, accelerator pedals getting stuck in floor mats, and a problem with braking systems on its hybrid models.

Under questioning from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Mr Toyoda said the company had shared with US authorities all the information it had about unintended acceleration problems.

In remarks which he read to the House, Mr Toyoda admitted that the firm's expansion "may have been too quick".

The grandson of the company's founder said in his pre-prepared remarks that he took a personal responsibility for improving the quality of Toyota cars.

"All the Toyota vehicles bear my name. For me, when the cars are damaged, it is as though I am as well. I, more than anyone, wish for Toyota's cars to be safe, and for our customers to feel safe when they use our vehicles."