A House lawmaker says internal Toyota documents show the automaker deliberately withheld key vehicle design and testing evidence in lawsuits filed by Toyota drivers injured in crashes.

House oversight committee chairman Edolphus Towns says Toyota tried to shield its testing data on potential problems with Toyota vehicles and settled many lawsuits to avoid disclosing the information.

Towns says the data was known as the "Books of Knowledge." The committee learned about it from records it subpoenaed from a former top Toyota liability lawyer who is now suing the company over his dismissal.

In a letter sent to Toyota today, Towns asks the automaker to provide more details on the database.

Toyota was the subject of two congressional hearings this week on the recall of 8.5 million vehicles over safety concerns.