Executives from carmakers Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and Ford Motor Co. and Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp.-owned automotive safety company Key Safety Systems will testify at a U.S. Senate committee hearing in relation to Takata Corp.'s air bag inflator recalls, Reuters reported March 14, citing "committee aides briefed on the matter."
The hearing follows a worldwide recall of more than 60 million vehicles that were installed with defective Takata air bags, which were linked to at least 22 deaths and hundreds of injuries worldwide, according to the report. Two of the deaths reportedly occurred in Ford Ranger vehicles, while the other 20 deaths were in Honda vehicles.
The Japanese auto parts maker filed for bankruptcy protection in June 2017 as a result of the defect, Reuters reported. Key Safety Systems on June 25 agreed to buy Takata's non-air bag inflator business for ¥180 billion as part of the bankruptcy plan.
The hearing scheduled March 20 will review recall completion rates, Takata's bankruptcy and other efforts to repair recalled vehicles, the report added.
Reuters said Takata and Honda did not immediately comment, while a spokeswoman from Ford said the company appreciated the opportunity to testify.
Meanwhile, Takata's U.S. arm, TK Holdings Inc., recently reached a settlement agreement over the faulty airbags.
