Woman blinded in one eye by airbag accident testifies at Takata hearing

GWEN IFILL:

The growing recalls and string of revelations over exploding air bags were the focus of an often tense Senate committee hearing today. At least five deaths have been linked to the air bags, and lawmakers wanted to know why.

Hari Sreenivasan has the story.

A warning:

Some of the images might be disturbing.

HARI SREENIVASAN:

They're designed to help save lives. But the spotlight today was on air bags that explode, causing injury and death.

Air Force Lieutenant Stephanie Erdman went before the Senate Commerce Committee to recount her 2013 accident.

STEPHANIE ERDMAN:

When the impact occurred, shrapnel from my car's air bag shot through the air bag cloth and embedded into my right eye and cheek. I was instantly blinded on my right side. I felt gushing blood running down my neck. I was terrified.

What happened to me was gruesome. The photo that the EMT took of me with the shrapnel embedded in my eye is scary to look at. But I believe this is necessary to grab the attention of those who have the ability to do something and keep this from happening to anyone else.

HARI SREENIVASAN:

The Japanese manufacturer Takata made the air bags. Their inflators can fire with too much force, sending metal shards flying. Lieutenant Erdman's Honda is one of about eight million cars in the U.S., made by 11 different automakers, that have all been recalled for the problem.

They're largely limited to states with high humidity that can affect the inflators. Takata's quality chief apologized today, but wouldn't support a nationwide recall, as NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, wants.

HIROSHI SHIMIZU, Senior Vice President, Takata Corporation:

Senator, it's hard for me to answer yes or no, so if you allow me.

SEN. EDWARD MARKEY, (D) Massachusetts: It is not hard for you to answer yes or no. Do you support the nationwide recall of air bags that the Department of Transportation has issued, yes or no?

HIROSHI SHIMIZU:

Again, Senator, if we identify the technical data to — from any incident to support NHTSA's new directions, and then we definitely work with NHTSA and automakers to take care of the issues.

SEN. EDWARD MARKEY:

I'm going to take that as a, no, you do not agree.

HARI SREENIVASAN:

Another Democratic senator, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, took Honda and Chrysler to task for confusing language used in recalls.

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL, (D) Missouri: We have been — had more recalls in the last year-and-a-half in American car manufacturing than in the history of American car manufacturing, probably more in the last year than we have had in many, many years combined.

The problem is, I don't think that people that are driving these cars understand the risk, because you guys aren't even comfortable with being consistent as to whether or not you're telling NHTSA it's a service campaign or a safety recall.

HARI SREENIVASAN:

Honda acknowledged at the hearing that it violated a federal law that requires faster reporting of potential defects. NHTSA, too, has come under fire. But David Friedman said his agency now has automakers running scared.

DAVID FRIEDMAN, Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

No more hiding information. No more hiding behind attorney-client privilege. No more waiting until a — to prove beyond shadow of a doubt that there's a problem. No more fighting us when we have clear evidence of defects. They need to act much more quickly. And NHTSA needs to continue to act more aggressively and more quickly to keep them in line.

HARI SREENIVASAN:

Just last night, President Obama named his nominee to head up NHTSA, transportation expert Mark Rosekind. the position has been empty for nearly a year.