WASHINGTON (AP) – Senators expressed anger and exasperation Tuesday with both air bag maker Takata Corp. and federal auto safety regulators over a problem with defective air bag inflators that has escalated into the largest auto-safety recall in U.S. history.
At least eight people have been killed and 100 injured by Takata air bags, which can explode with too much force and spew shrapnel into the vehicle. The problem has persisted for more than a decade and impacts 11 automakers, including Honda, BMW and Toyota. In May, Takata bowed to U.S. government pressure and agreed to double the number of air bag inflators it’s recalling in the U.S. to 33.8 million.
Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, opened a Senate hearing on the issue with graphic photos of a constituent, Clarabel Nunez, who was hit in the forehead with shrapnel last July when her air bag exploded in Miami. Nelson also showed a large photo of Nunez’s blood-stained air bags. Nelson held up the piece of shrapnel that his Nunez, and noted it was only inches from her eyes and neck.
“The bottom line is we need to get these cars fixed and we’ve been talking about this since last year,” Nelson said.
Tuesday’s hearing was Takata’s fourth appearance before Congress since last November. Sen. John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said the multiple recalls for the problem have perplexed car owners.