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 In a letter dated March 3, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration chief Mark Rosekind told Senator Bill Nelson that
regulators had the authority to increase supply of replacement parts
by requiring more manufacturers to produce them.
If the NHTSA decides to exercise this right under the National
Traffic and Motor Safety Act it would mark the first time the agency
has done so since it was granted such authority in 2000.
Rosekind, a former member of the National Transportation Safety
Board, which investigates major accidents, took the helm of NHTSA in
December as the agency weathered criticism for not responding more
quickly to the Takata defects and another deadly problem involving
faulty General Motors Co ignition switches.
NHTSA estimates that more than 17 million vehicles were manufactured
with Takata air bag inflators that can explode and fire metal shards
into the passenger compartments. The devices have been linked to at
least six deaths and dozens of injuries. Regulators say the air bags
have been replaced in fewer than 2 million vehicles, or under 12
percent of those subject to recall.
"With such a large number of affected vehicles, production of
replacement air bags must be increased but without compromising
safety," Rosekind told Florida Democrat Nelson in the letter, a copy
of which was reviewed by Reuters.
“We will consider all options available to us, including whether to
invoke … the Safety Act.”
A NHTSA official declined to say when the agency might reach a
decision.
In 2000, Congress amended the Safety Act to grant the U.S.
transportation secretary authority to require manufacturers to
accelerate remedies if a recall program cannot be completed within a
reasonable time and poses a risk of serious injury or death.
NHTSA has urged owners of certain vehicles from several automakers
including Toyota Motor Corp, Honda Motor Co, Ford Motor Co and GM to
replace the air bags as soon as possible. Those efforts have been
dogged by supply issues.
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Some auto industry officials said parts issues are already being
addressed in discussions with Takata and other suppliers.
"We anticipate having sufficient supply starting in another several
weeks, so we don't view this as a long-term concern that requires
unprecedented use of NHTSA's authority,” said Honda spokesman Chris
Martin.
Rosekind told Nelson that NHTSA is in discussions with Takata as
well as other air bag suppliers, including Autoliv Inc, to look at
options to accelerate production.
Takata said on Monday it plans to double its capacity to make
replacement air bag inflators over the next six months and it
continues testing parts that could explode with too much force. The
Japanese supplier expects to be producing about 900,000 replacement
kits per month by September, up from 450,000 now.
Honda has also contracted with both Autoliv and Daicel Corp to get
replacement air bag inflators starting in the near future.
(Additional reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; editing by Andrew
Hay)
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