Takata Corp. suspended safety audits, report says

Automotive air bag maker Takata Corp. may have placed profit over safety by halting safety audits of factories, a group of U. S. senators says.

Minority members of the Senate Commerce Committee cite Takata emails showing the audits were stopped from 2009 to 2011 for financial reasons.

Once audits were resumed, a safety director faulted a factory in Mexico for failing to properly close bags of air bag propellant and for storing contaminated propellant near good materials.

Takata says the emails were taken out of context. They were released in a report on the eve of a committee hearing on Takata problems.