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 Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Edward Markey of
Massachusetts, both Democrats, said the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the recall should be immediate
"regardless of where the car is registered."
NHTSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The air bags are manufactured by Takata Corp and installed in
vehicles from 10 automakers. At least four deaths have been linked
to the problem, leading to the recall so far of 7.8 million vehicles
in the United States since last year and more than 16 million
globally since 2008.
The air bags are thought to inflate with too much force, causing
parts to possibly spray into the faces and necks of occupants of the
cars.
The recalls have focused on cars in hot, humid places, such as
Florida, as investigators believe improperly sealed air bags are
prone to problems in warmer regions.
"All states experience seasons of heat and humidity," Blumenthal and
Markey wrote in a letter to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
The senators also wrote that they were "alarmed and astonished"
NHTSA has embraced a policy by Toyota Motor Corp and General Motors
Co that car dealers should disable passenger-side air bags. The
senators said that specific steps must first be taken that weigh the
overall safety of such a move.
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Furthermore, the senators said the government should encourage
manufacturers to provide rental cars at no cost to consumers if
their cars cannot be immediately fixed.
Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of Florida made similar demands
earlier this week.
Markey and Blumenthal also criticized NHTSA for failing to provide
clear guidance to consumers on how and when to get their vehicles
repaired.
The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association on Thursday
urged its member dealers to immediately check their inventories to
determine whether they have any of the recalled autos in stock "and
take appropriate steps to have the defect remedied before offering
it for sale."
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Grant McCool)
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