Senators Urge NHTSA to Speed Takata Recalls

Some 30.4 million explosion-prone Takata Corp. airbag inflators have been replaced in the U.S. in the past two years. But nearly 16 million such devices, which are blamed for 11 fatalities, are still in service and remain a threat.

"We’ve got to pick up the pace,” declares Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), ranking Democrat on the U.S. Senate’s commerce committee. He and committee chair John Thune (R- S.C) have asked Dept. of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao for an update on the recalls.

Safety advocates are worried that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration isn’t pushing the 19 affected carmakers to make repairs more quickly, Automotive News notes. One reason: The Trump administration hasn’t named an administrative head or deputy administrator for the agency since Barack Obama appointee Mark Rosekind left in January. The agency currently is being run on an interim basis by its fourth in command, Executive Director Jack Danielson.

The complex array of recalls is being managed by an independent monitor, which also provides data on the number of units repaired. But advocates say the program needs the clout of an official NHTSA chief to resolve continuing complaints about a shortage of replacement parts and the challenges of finding affected vehicle owners.