By Angela Chen
Six transportation experts will join former Secretary of
Transportation Samuel Skinner on a panel to assess the practices of
Takata Corp., the Japanese air bag company that came under scrutiny
after its air bag explosions were linked to five deaths.
Takata said last month that it would form an independent review
panel to investigate the company's handling of the air bag safety
defect. The panel, chaired by Mr. Skinner, will be tasked with
producing a report on Takata's manufacturing procedures and the
safety of its air-bag inflaters and inflater propellants. The
report will be made public upon its completion.
New members of the panel include Marion C. Blakey, a former
administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, and Nelda Connors, who has worked at Ford Motor Co
and other automotive companies.
Last week, Takata chief executive Shigehisa Takada said that the
company is still working to identify the root cause of why some of
its air bags have exploded. Mr. Takada declined to comment on how
long it will take for the company to fully identify the causes.
In some older-model cars, the air-bag inflaters are at risk of
exploding with too much force and spraying the driver and passenger
with metal shrapnel, Takata has said. The problem has led to 24
million vehicles recalled by 12 auto makers, including BMW AG,
Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co.
Takata suspects that the problem is linked to high humidity and
temperature. The NHTSA has pushed Takata to expand recalls beyond
the original reach of humid U.S. areas, but Takata has resisted the
demand, arguing it has limited replacement parts to fix the air
bags and a national recall would divert resources from the hot,
humid regions where owners are most at risk for air-bag
explosions.
In December, Takata's president and chief operating officer
Stefan Stocker stepped down due to the recalls. The company has
also announced executive salary cuts, with Mr. Takada's monthly
compensation halved for four months.
Other new members of the panel are John C. Landgraf, Julio M.
Ottino, Jeffrey Runge and John W. Snow.
Shares of Takata have plunged 30% in the past three months.
Write to Angela Chen at angela.chen@dowjones.com
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