Pallone, Schakowsky on Takata Recall: "It's About Time"

Statement

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Commerce, Trade, and Manufacturing Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement today after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced steps to address fatal defects in Takata airbags. Takata has finally agreed to take action and expand its original recall to include 34 million potentially defective vehicles nationwide:

"After far too many deaths and injuries, Takata has finally admitted what we have been saying for months--that these airbags must be taken off the roads. A supposed safety feature has become a safety hazard in nearly 34 million vehicles. We are pleased that Takata and NHTSA have taken steps toward a national recall. The factors that supposedly contribute to the deadly airbag deployments -- humidity, heat, and age -- exist everywhere in the country, so the Takata recall should be nationwide as well.

"The Vehicle Safety Improvement Act of 2015, which we introduced earlier this year, would eliminate regional recalls as well as give NHTSA additional tools and resources to handle these kinds of safety hazards. We urge its passage and enactment as soon as possible.

"We remain concerned, though, that the root cause of these deadly deployments is still unknown, and we urge Takata and NHTSA to double down on the efforts to investigate this problem. We cannot be sure that the defective airbags are fixed if we do not know what the problem is in the first place.

"We will continue to closely monitor this issue and work to ensure that the public can have confidence that the cars they drive and travel in are safe."

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