Lawmakers Seek Answers From Takata, U.S. On Faulty Air Bags

WASHINGTON (AP/WCCO) — Lawmakers are seeking answers from the maker of defective air bags and federal regulators as they focus on the biggest auto-safety recall in U.S. history.

Japan's Takata Corp. agreed last month to declare 33.8 million air bags defective. Faulty inflators inside the air bags are responsible for six deaths and over 100 injuries worldwide. A top Takata executive and the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are answering questions at a U.S. House hearing Tuesday.

Lawmakers want to know how the replacement inflators being installed are different so that they won't suffer the same defect, and how long all the repairs will take.

The chemical that inflates the air bags can explode with too much force, blowing apart inflators and sending shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

The government said earlier that models by Ford, Honda, BMW and Fiat Chrysler are all affected. That includes some Honda Civics, Ford Mustangs and Ram pickups.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has created some online resources to help people with those vehicles. Vehicle owners can look up their car with the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

However, the government said it still waiting on automakers to supply a complete list of affected vehicles, meaning we could see even more added to the list and that the website will continually be updated.

For another resource to see which models are included, click here.

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