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Panel: Did Takata Put Profit Before Safety?
Takata Corp.'s suspension of certain safety audits between 2009 and 2011 may have contributed to the recall of some 34 million of the company's airbag inflators in the U.S., according to a report by the U.S.
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Takata Corp.'s suspension of certain safety audits between 2009 and 2011 may have contributed to the recall of some 34 million of the company's airbag inflators in the U.S., according to a report by the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee.
The committee is staging a hearing on Tuesday about Takata's response to the recall crisis.
Monday's report by the Democratic minority on the panel points to company e-mails it says show "Takata may have prioritized profit over safety by halting global safety audits for financial reasons."
Eleven car and truckmakers are replacing Takata airbag inflators whose propellant may explode and spray metal shrapnel into the passenger compartment. The defect has been linked to eight fatalities and more than 100 injuries.
Takata disputes the accuracy of the report. In an oddly phrased statement, the company says e-mail references to suspended global audits "relate to the safe handling by employees of pyrotechnic materials. They were not, as the report implies, related to product quality or safety."
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