Sun Sentinel Broward Edition

Takata, regulators under fire

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Senators expressed anger and exasperati­on Tuesday with both air bag manufactur­er Takata and federal auto safety regulators over a problem with defective air bag inflaters that has escalated into the largest autosafety recall in U.S. history.

At least eight people have been killed and 100 injured by Takata air bags, which can explode 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 inflaters it’s recalling in the U.S. to 33.8 million.

Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, opened a Senate hearing on the issue Tuesday with graphic photos of a person who was hit in the forehead with shrapnel last July when her vehicle’s air bag exploded.

“The bottom line is we need to get these cars fixed and we’ve been talking about this since last year,” Nelson said.

Sen. John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said that multiple recalls for the problem have perplexed car owners.

Senators also criticized the National Highway Traffic Safety Administra­tion for failing to investigat­e early reports of exploding air bags.

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