SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Denso International’s Southfield, Mich., offices were raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation yesterday, along with the offices of two other major Toyota suppliers. The two other Toyota suppliers whose offices were raided include Tokai Rika America, in Plymouth, Mich., and Yazaki North America, which has locations in Canton, Mich., and Lexington, Ky., and Columbus, Ohio.

According to media reports, the raids were part of an antitrust probe launched by federal authorities. According to a spokeswoman for the Department of Justice, authorities are looking into “the possibility of anticompetitive cartel conduct of automotive electronic components suppliers.”

Officials at Denso say that they are cooperating with the investigation, which they also say is unrelated to the current Congressional hearings taking place in connection with Toyota’s recall of more than 8 million vehicles for unintended acceleration. While Denso does make accelerator pedals for certain Lexus models, Denso's products have not been implicated in connection with any of the Toyota recalls, according to Detroit News.

Detroit News also reported that Toyota owns large stakes in both Denso and Tokai Rika. However, specifics as to why these three suppliers are being investigated in connection with Toyota have not been clarified. 

The Los Angeles Times reported that a person familiar with the situation noted that the investigation appears to be connected to possible discussions between the suppliers, and is not a product safety issue.