House Panel to Meet With Safety Regulators on Takata Air Bags

The U.S. House committee looking into the defective air bags made by Japanese supplier Takata Corp will hold an initial briefing with U.S. safety regulators next week to learn the details of the regional recalls affecting 10 automakers, a committee aide said on Friday.

The date of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's briefing was not disclosed. It is not a hearing and will not be open to the public, the aide said. Officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration were not immediately available.

The faulty air bags can explode with too much force and spray shrapnel at occupants, a problem that has been linked to four deaths and numerous injuries.

NHTSA opened an investigation in June into the regional recalls and whether Takata air bag inflators made between 2000 and 2007 were improperly sealed. Takata has said it will cooperate with U.S. authorities and the 10 automakers affected.

The House committee, led by Chairman Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan, wants to know who knew what when, what steps have been taken and how the problem can be corrected, the aide said. Discussions with the affected automakers are also being scheduled.

"First and foremost, we need to ensure that regulators and automakers are doing everything they can to address this hazard and protect drivers," Upton said in a statement.

"Drivers are being told they need to fix their cars immediately, yet they are directed to a website that isn't working properly and are being told by dealers that they don't have working parts," he added, referring to NHTSA's website for consumers. "Drivers are rightly confused and panicked."