Airbag Recall Mess
Millions of Americans at risk of death and injury. NHTSA apologizes. Federal prosecutors investigating.
In a statement, David Friedman, NHTSA’s deputy administrator, also said the agency has “identified the problem” affecting Takata airbags and is making sure cars are recalled in parts of the country “where there is a demonstrated risk.” The agency has recently focused its Takata efforts on high-humidity regions, including U.S. states along the Gulf of Mexico.
Meanwhile, the situation by Wednesday had attracted added scrutiny from lawmakers seeking to review the progress of NHTSA’s investigation into Takata, and from federal prosecutors who, according to The Wall Street Journal, are now investigating the Japanese supplier.” See
“Last week, Senator Markey and Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote NHTSA about this policy, saying that it “makes no sense” and asked NHTSA to reevaluate these regional recalls.
“This is the time of the year when many Massachusetts residents make the long trek down to Florida to spend the winter and wait until Red Sox spring training starts. But what happens to them if their car is registered in the Bay State, and not the Sunshine State, under this regional recall system? Drivers could be driving a ticking airbag time bomb, and our auto regulators won’t ever tell them. It’s time to end this ludicrous policy that endangers our roads and puts lives at risk,” said Senator Markey.”
