Takata senior VP to testify before U.S. Senate committee

Representatives of Takata Corp, Chrysler Group Llc, Honda Motor Co Ltd and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will testify before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday to answer questions about the dangers posed by air bags supplied by Takata.

The final witness list, provided by a Senate aide, includes Hiroshi Shimizu, senior vice president of global quality assurance for Takata, Scott Kunselman, senior vice president of vehicle safety and regulatory compliance for Chrysler Group, Rick Schostek, executive vice president of Honda North America, and David Friedman, deputy administrator for the NHTSA, the federal agency that oversees the auto industry.

Stephanie Erdman, a victim of the Takata air bag defect, will also testify.

Over the past six years, at least five deaths have been linked to air bags supplied by Japanese safety equipment maker Takata. It was found that the air bags could rupture upon deployment, spraying metal shards inside the car. More than 17 million cars have been recalled worldwide, including more than 11 million in the United States.

The hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will begin at 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT) on Thursday.