By Christina Rogers And Jeff Bennett
A U.S. senate hearing on Thursday is expected to highlight how
auto companies and regulators were slow to respond to driver
injuries from exploding air bags and how out-of-court settlements
kept information on air-bag flaws under wraps.
Officials from Takata Corp., the air-bag maker that this week
balked at expanding an existing recall, Chrysler Group LLC and
Honda Motor Co. are scheduled to testify on their company's
handling of injury reports before the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation hearing.
"The American people deserve to know the whole story behind this
air-bag recall," said Sen. Bill Nelson (D., Fla.), the committee's
chairman. "That's why we're holding this hearing to get them some
answers and spur auto makers to do more to help get these dangerous
cars off the road and fixed as soon as possible."
The car air bags can explode with too much force, sending metal
pieces into the passenger cabins. Chemical inflaters made by Takata
and supplied to 10 auto makers have been identified as causing five
deaths and several serious injuries, mostly during accidents in hot
and humid weather areas.
On Tuesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
called for Takata and auto makers to expand their recalls of older
vehicles that use the suspect inflater canisters. The agency cited
a driver injury in North Carolina, a state not included in the
regional recalls. Most recalls thus far have been limited to hot
and humid weather regions.
Hiroshi Shimizu, Takata's senior vice president in charge of
quality issues, will testify on the company's behalf. He has spent
half of his 36-year Takata career in the U.S., involved in air-bag
and seat-belt production and sales operations.
On Wednesday, spokesmen for Takata and Honda separately declined
to comment on their executives' testimonies before the
committee.
Takata earlier objected to the agency's demand for a nationwide
recall, saying an expanded action could slow delivery of parts to
those regions with high humidity and temperature, which it
considers as high-priority because most incidents incurred there.
Auto makers said they are working with NHTSA but few so far have
agreed to replace all the suspect inflaters.
Chrysler and Honda are among 10 car makers that use Takata air
bags. Among other cases that have come to light is a July
out-of-court settlement between Chrysler and a Florida man after an
air bag exploded in his 2006 Dodge Charger. Chrysler hasn't
formally recalled its vehicles, conducting what it calls a safety
campaign in a few states.
The incident involving the Dodge Charger was reported to NHTSA
late last year. In June, Chrysler said it would initiate a "field
action" to replace the car's air-bag inflaters.
Nearly five months later, the company's field action has yet to
begin.
In the Florida case, driver Damian Fernandez received an
undisclosed cash settlement in July from Chrysler after he suffered
a four-inch gash in his leg when the Takata air bag in his 2006
Dodge Charger exploded during a traffic accident. When the air bag
deployed, it sent a metal fragment in his left leg.
"Settlements are often pursued to mitigate the costs of
litigation," a Chrysler spokesman said. "Settlements are
confidential to protect the privacy of the parties. We always seek
early resolution in settlement matters to see if amicable
agreements can be reached."
In part, auto makers say they don't have a handle on what is
causing the air bags to explode too forcefully. General Motors
Co.'s product chief, Mark Reuss, said on Wednesday the industry
needs to continue working to figure out the root cause of the
air-bag defects.
"Right now we don't know what that is," Mr. Reuss said.
On Wednesday, the White House nominated Mark Rosekind as NHTSA
administrator. Mr. Rosekind is a member of the National
Transportation Safety Board, which studies aviation, highway and
other transportation accidents. The federal agency has been run by
Deputy Administrator David Friedman for almost a year.
Before the hearing, senators Edward Markey (D., Mass.) and
Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) will join the sister of a 2003
Arizona victim in a news conference. Sen. Blumenthal said he
couldn't add any additional details but promised the hearing would
be hard hitting.
"I am expecting a penetrating hearing with tough questions as to
Takata's culpability," Mr. Blumenthal said. "We also need to get
focused on the continuing threat of these air bags and hold Takata
and the auto makers accountable for the deaths and damage in the
past and what may happen in the future if there is no national
recall."
Yoko Kubota and John D. Stoll contributed to this article.
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