TOYOTA has settled what is widely regarded as the most serious lawsuit of the hundreds of claims the auto maker faces.

The company has agreed to settle the suit brought by relatives of four family members killed in a high-speed crash near San Diego that galvanized attention around safety flaws of the company's vehicles and led to the recalls of millions of cars, the Los Angeles Times said.

The August 2009 crash killed California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor, 45, along with his wife, Cleofe, 45, their daughter Mahala, 13, and Cleofe's brother Chris Lastrella, 39.

Their car -- a Toyota-made sedan borrowed from a local Lexus dealership -- reached speeds of more than 120 mph on a southern California freeway, hit a sport utilityvehicle, launched off an embankment, rolled several times and burst into flames.

Investigators found that a wrong-sized floor mat that trapped the accelerator was to blame. Shortly after the crash, Toyota recalled millions of cars to replace floor mats that it said could cause the accelerator to jam. The car maker later recalled millions more vehicles to replace gas pedals that it said could stick.

In a letter to a Santa Ana Superior Court judge, Toyota revealed the settlement with the plaintiffs, who include the parents of the three adult victims. The company gave no details about the terms and wants to keep them confidential, the Times said.

The newspaper said Toyota is expected to file motions with the judge disclosing the settlement on Monday. Court filings indicate the two parties reached a settlement in June.

Tim Pestotnik, an attorney for the plaintiffs, declined comment.

The company faces other lawsuits stemming from sudden acceleration in several Toyota and Lexus models, and brake glitches with the company's Prius hybrid.

• california [,kæli´fɔ:njə] n.加利福尼亚 (初中英语单词)
• highway [´haiwei] n.公路，大道 (初中英语单词)
• shortly [´ʃɔ:tli] ad.立刻，马上；不久 (初中英语单词)
• replace [ri´pleis] vt.放回；复置；取代 (初中英语单词)
• attorney [ə´tə:ni] n.代理人；律师 (初中英语单词)
• comment [´kɔment] n.&v.评论；评注；注意 (初中英语单词)
• patrol [pə´trəul] n.巡逻 v.巡逻(查) (英语四级单词)
• utility [ju:´tiliti] n.有用 a.有各种用途的 (英语四级单词)
• vehicle [´vi:ikəl] n.车辆；媒介物 (英语四级单词)
• confidential [,kɔnfi´denʃəl] a.极受信任的；心腹的 (英语四级单词)
• august [ɔ:´gʌst] a.尊严的；威严的 (英语六级单词)
• hybrid [´haibrid] n.杂种；混合物 (英语六级单词)