Klobuchar Calls on Takata to Immediately Issue Nationwide Recall of Defective Airbags Linked to Horrific Injuries in Minnesota and Across the Country
Press Release
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar today called on Takata Corp. to immediately issue a nationwide recall of defective airbags that have been linked to a string of horrific injuries in Minnesota and across the country. Despite evidence that defective Takata air bags pose a risk outside of high absolute humidity areas, Takata has so far refused to comply with requests from federal transportation safety officials to expand its recall nationally. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave Takata a deadline of December 2, 2014 to expand the recall, but Takata still has not acted despite the deadline passing. In a letter to Takata, Klobuchar urged the company to act immediately to address the threat the defective air bags pose to public safety and to ensure all vehicles with defective components are removed from the road.
"These defective air bags can transform a vehicle safety feature responsible for saving lives into a ticking time bomb that can injure or kill," Klobuchar said. "With more evidence surfacing about the danger of these air bags, it's stunning that the company is still refusing to take action to protect consumers. That's why I'm calling on Takata to immediately expand its recall nationally to help get all vehicles with dangerous air bags off the road as quickly as possible and keep families safe."
Mrs. Shashi Chopra from North Oaks, Minnesota, was a passenger in a 2002 BMW that crashed, deploying a Takata airbag. The investigation surrounding the case remains open, but Mrs. Chopra was left permanently blind. The crash occurred in March 2013, yet the family was not informed about the defect until September 2014 as part of an expanded recall from 2013.
During a recent Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Klobuchar pressed a Takata executive, automakers, and a key federal transportation official over these dangerous air bags and urged them to do everything possible to protect consumers.
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