Gus Bilirakis Wants Answers From Takata on Airbag Failures

From his perch on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., offered his take on Takata airbag failures and the impact on public safety. 
 
“This is a fundamental issue of safety,” Bilirakis said on Tuesday. “Americans must be able to trust that the cars they drive are safe. Instead, nearly one in seven vehicles has been recalled due to a potentially fatal airbag. A number of Floridians have been killed or seriously injured due to these flaws. In fact, after I questioned him in December, Honda’s Executive Vice President Rick Schostek made this alarming admission: ‘we believe the risk is highest,’ in Florida. Despite the continued excuses from Takata executives, I don’t think there is any excuse for not solving this problem for over a decade. Lives are at stake.”

Bilirakis pointed to studies showing six Americans were killed, more than 100 more injured and almost 35 million cars have been recalled due to the airbag failures.