TOKYO - Toyota Motor on Thursday denied there was any cover-up over safety problems linked to floor mats, after US authorities accused it of misleading consumers.

"It is not part of Toyota's culture and the Toyota way to cover up anything," company vice president Yukitoshi Funo told reporters.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a statement Wednesday "correcting inaccurate and misleading information put out by Toyota concerning a safety recall" involving 3.8 million vehicles.

Toyota launched the massive recall in the United States last month following a deadly crash in California believed to be the result of an accelerator pedal that got trapped and stuck by a floor mat.

On Monday the world's largest automaker issued a news release saying that "no defect exists in vehicles in which the driver's floor mat is compatible with the vehicle and properly secured."

But the NHTSA said Toyota had "inaccurately stated NHTSA had reached a conclusion "that no defect exists.""

"NHTSA has told Toyota and consumers that removing the recalled floor mats is the most immediate way to address the safety risk and avoid the possibility of the accelerator becoming stuck. But it is simply an interim measure," the US watchdog said.

"This remedy does not correct the underlying defect in the vehicles involving the potential for entrapment of the accelerator by floor mats, which is related to accelerator and floor pan design," it said.

"This matter is not closed until Toyota has effectively addressed the defect by providing a suitable vehicle based solution," it said.