US turns up heat on Takata over air bag problem
Source: AP-Excite
By TOM KRISHER and DEE-ANN DURBIN
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are ordering Japanese auto supplier Takata Corp. to provide more information about air bags that can explode and shoot shrapnel toward drivers and passengers.
The order sent Thursday makes 36 separate requests for information on production mistakes, lawsuit settlements and reports of deaths or injuries that the Tokyo-based company has received. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also wants to know how many replacement parts Takata can make each day and what it has discussed with automakers and competitors.
Takata has until Dec. 1 to turn in the information or it could face fines of $7,000 per day. A Takata spokesman said the company is cooperating and will work to meet the agency's requests.
Ten automakers have recalled nearly 8 million vehicles in the U.S. — and 12 million worldwide — equipped with potentially faulty Takata air bag inflators. Safety advocates say the problem has caused four deaths in the U.S.
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