Senate Dems press for airbag recall documents

A pair of Senate Democrats is pressing Japanese auto parts manufacturer Takata for documents related to its recall of defective air bags that has affected nearly 8 million cars. 

Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said in a letter to Takata CEO Shigehisa Takada that they were unsatisfied with the company’s testimony about the recalls before a Senate committee they are both members of last week. 

“On November 20, 2014, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the United States Senate held a hearing titled, ‘Examining Takata Airbag Defects and the Vehicle Recall Process,’ ” the senators wrote. 

{mosads}“At this hearing chaired by Senator Nelson, Mr. Hiroshi Shimizu, Senior Vice President of Global Quality Assurance, testified on behalf of your company,” Rockefeller and Nelson continued. “Unfortunately, Mr. Shimizu was unable to satisfactorily answer many of the questions posed to him by Sen. Nelson and other members of the Commerce Committee.” 

Takata air bags, which were used in cars manufactured by companies like Toyota, Lexus and Chrysler, have been found to explode in some cases when they are deployed in humid conditions. 

Accidents involving the defective air bags have been linked to five deaths so far, and the recall of the faulty part has grown to include nearly 8 million cars. 

Shimizu apologized on behalf of the country during a contentious hearing last week. 

“Even though millions of Takata air bags have inflated properly, saving lives and avoiding serious injuries in hundreds of thousands of accidents, any failure of an air bag to perform as designed in an automobile accident is incompatible with Takata’s standards for highest quality assurance,” Shimizu told the panel. 

“We are deeply sorry and anguished about each of the reported instances in which a Takata air bag has not performed as designed and a driver or passenger has suffered personal injuries or death,” Shimizu said. “Our sincerest condolences go out to all those who have suffered in these accidents and to their families.” 

Nelson and Rockefeller, who is chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee until Republicans take control of the Senate in January, said Monday that they were not satisfied with Takata’s public apology. 

“Mr. Shimizu was unable to provide information regarding the chemical compounds used in Takata’s airbags, and whether Takata personnel or internal testing raised concern about the safety of those compounds, as has been widely reported in the news media,” they wrote. 

“In addition, Mr. Shimizu was unable to sufficiently answer many questions about the current production and safety testing of replacement airbags for vehicles currently covered by recalls or safety improvement campaigns,” the senators continued. “As a result, we still have many significant questions about the circumstances surrounding Takata’s manufacturing of defective airbags and their widespread distribution and installation in vehicles sold and driven in the United States.” 

Rockefeller and Nelson gave Takata a deadline of Dec. 12 to answer 24 questions they set to its chief on Monday.