Takata stopped safety audits as cost-saving move: US Senate report

New York

IN the middle of what would become the largest automotive recall in US history, the Japanese airbag manufacturer Takata halted global safety audits to save money, according to internal company emails cited in a report published on Monday by a Senate committee.

That order was just one of many serious safety lapses at Takata detailed in the report released by Senator Bill Nelson, the ranking minority member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. On Tuesday, a Takata executive is among those scheduled to testify before the committee about its defective airbags, which can unexpectedly rupture and send metal shards flying into a vehicle's cabin.