US agency threatens to act against air bag maker
Source: AP-EXCITE
By TOM KRISHER
DETROIT (AP) — A dispute between U.S. safety regulators and air bag maker Takata Corp. escalated Wednesday when the government threatened fines and legal action if the company fails to admit that driver's side air bag inflators are defective and agrees to a nationwide recall.
In a letter to Takata's Washington office, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the Japanese company until Tuesday to file paperwork declaring a defect and agree to expand the recall from high-humidity states to the full nation.
The company's air bags have been blamed for at least five deaths and multiple injuries worldwide. They can inflate with too much force, blowing apart a mental canister and sending shrapnel into drivers and passengers.
The letter is the first step in a legal process to compel a recall. To do so, the agency must make a finding that there's a safety defect, hold a public hearing and then it can go to court. It can also fine the company up to $7,000 per vehicle with defective inflators, and NHTSA says there are millions on the road today.
FULL story at link.
FILE - In this Thursday, April 17, 2014, file photo, journalists visit Takata Ignition Systems in Schoenebeck, Germany. U.S. safety regulators are threatening fines and legal action against Takata Corp. for failing to admit that its driver's-side air bag inflators are defective and should be recalled nationwide. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sent a letter to the company Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014, detailing the threats, which include a public hearing and possible court action. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer, File)
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