White House defends safety regulators, citing Takata airbag recall

The White House on Wednesday defended government safety regulators, pointing to a massive recall of defective airbags by Japanese auto parts company Takata.

{mosads}“We think the Department of Transportation has taken the extraordinary and critical step of making sure that cars and trucks are safe with these airbags, and that’s why they are taking this step,” White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Schultz said American travelers’ safety is the department’s “No. 1 priority.” 

Lawmakers had previously criticized regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for not going far enough to enforce safety standards.

But some former critics in Congress applauded the administration for pressuring Takata to expand its recall.

“Folks shouldn’t have to drive around wondering if their airbag is going to explode in their face or if their car is going to be on another recall list,” Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said in a statement. “We’ve seen the recall list double now to 30 million cars. Let’s hope Takata’s admissions today tells us the whole story.”

Takata this week expanded its airbag recall to nearly 34 million cars. The company had previously issued a recall of 8 million cars due to airbags that would sometimes explode if deployed in humid weather.

The recall had been expanded to 17 million cars, after the company came under pressure from federal safety officials.

— Keith Laing contributed.