Takata quality chief shuns national air bag recall

WASHINGTON (AP) — The quality chief for Japanese air bag maker Takata Corp. told a Senate committee today that a national recall of driver's side air bag inflators is not necessary.

In testimony before the Commerce Committee, Senior Vice President of Quality Hiroshi Shimizu said recalls should be limited to high-humidity areas.

Takata air bags can inflate with too much force, sending metal shrapnel into the passenger compartment and injuring people. The problem has caused at least five deaths and dozens of injuries. Prolonged exposure to high humidity can cause the air bag propellant to burn too quickly.

So far, recalls have been limited to Florida, Hawaii, areas along the Gulf Coast, as well as Puerto Rico and some other U.S. territories. U.S. safety regulators are now demanding that Takata recall driver's air bags nationwide after incidents in California and North Carolina.

But Shimizu says tests have not revealed any inflator ruptures outside the high-humidity zones.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is threatening legal action if Takata and automakers don't do the national recall. So far, Ford, Mazda, Chrysler and Honda, the companies covered by the agency's demand, have not expanded their recalls.