A U.S. House subcommittee is set to questions executives from Takata as well as from Toyota, BMW and Honda as part of a recall of faulty and potentially deadly vehicle airbags.
DETROIT, MI - A U.S. House subcommittee is set to question executives from Takata as well as from Toyota, BMW and Honda as part of a recall of faulty and potentially deadly vehicle airbags.
Ten different automakers have recalled 7.8 million vehicles in the U.S. and 13 million worldwide because of the airbags made by Tokyo-based Takata Corp., which has its North American headquarters in Auburn Hills.
In humid environments, some of the defective airbags' inflators have ruptured and exploded, sending metal shards flying through the car. The flaw has been linked to at least four deaths and 30 injuries.
The U.S. recall has so far included Florida, Puerto Rico, limited areas near the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisiana, as well as Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Virgin Islands and Hawaii.
But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last month called for a nationwide recall after an incident in North Carolina. Takata has so far resisted expanding the recall nationwide.
On Wednesday at 10 a.m., the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade will grill the auto execs as well as NHTSA Acting Administrator David Friedman.
"Airbags were intended to improve safety, but now we are in a situation where this life-saving tool is actually itself the subject of a safety recall," said Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "Drivers are becoming increasingly anxious as the recalls are expanded yet they are being told they can't get their vehicles fixed. It is clear something must be done to restore the public's trust and ensure safety on the roads."
Here is the latest list of affected vehicles in the U.S., per NHTSA:
BMW: 627,615 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible
Chrysler: 371,309 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2008 Dodge Ram 1500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Ram 2500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 3500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 4500
2008 – Dodge Ram 5500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Durango
2005 – 2008 Dodge Dakota
2005 – 2008 Chrysler 300
2007 – 2008 Chrysler Aspen
Ford: 58,669 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2004 – Ranger
2005 – 2006 GT
2005 – 2007 Mustang
General Motors: undetermined total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe
2005 – Saab 9-2X
Honda: 5,051,364 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2007 Honda Accord)
2001 – 2002 Honda Accord
2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
2003 – 2011 Honda Element
2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot
2006 – Honda Ridgeline
2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL
2005 – Acura RL
Mazda: 64,872 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2007 Mazda6
2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6
2004 – 2008 Mazda RX-8
2004 – 2005 MPV
2004 – B-Series Truck
Mitsubishi: 11,985 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2004 – 2005 Lancer
2006 – 2007 Raider
Nissan: 694,626 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
2001 – 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2004 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45
Subaru: 17,516 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Baja
2003 – 2005 Legacy
2003 – 2005 Outback
2004 – 2005 Impreza
Toyota: 877,000 total number of potentially affected vehicles
2002 – 2005 Lexus SC
2002 – 2005 Toyota Corolla
2003 – 2005 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2002 – 2005 Toyota Sequoia
2003 – 2005 Toyota Tundra