Takata V.P. to Testify at House Hearing Today
A House subcommittee will also listen to testimony from executives with Honda North America, Toyota, BMW of North America and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration during a hearing focused on the safety recalls of defective Takata air bags.
A House subcommittee hearing on the Takata air bag ruptures and recalls, scheduled for 10 a.m. EST on Dec. 3, is set to include testimony from Hiroshi Shimizu, Takata’s senior vice president for global quality assurance.
The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade will also hear testimony from executives with Honda North America, Toyota, BMW of North America and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
To view video of the hearing, click here.
On Nov. 20, Shimizu testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and some of his indirect or vague responses to questions clearly frustrated committee members.
On Nov. 24, Senators John D. Rockefeller and Bill Nelson, members of the committee, sent a letter to Takata Corp. CEO Shigehisa Takada, criticizing Shimizu’s answers to questions and requesting information and documents related to the defective air bags. The committee set a Dec. 12 deadline for delivery of the materials.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Shimizu was unable to satisfactorily answer many of the questions posed to him by Senator Nelson and other Members of the Commerce Committee,” the letter states. “Specifically, Mr. Shimizu was unable to provide information regarding the chemical compounds used in Takata’s airbags, and whether Takata personnel or internal testing raised concern about the safety of those compounds, as has been widely reported in the news media. In addition, Mr. Shimizu was unable to sufficiently answer many questions about the current production and safety testing of replacement airbags for vehicles currently covered by recalls or safety improvement campaigns.”
To download the letter to Takata, click here.
Committee Chairman Rockefeller and Nelson, who chaired the hearing, also sent a letter to Honda North America President Takuji Yamada to request copies of communications between Honda and Takata as well as other documents related to the defective Takata air bags. The senators set a Dec. 19 deadline for the items.
Rick Schostek, executive vice president of Honda North America, testified at the Senate subcommittee hearing Nov. 20.
To download the letter to Honda, click here.
Meanwhile, Honda on Dec. 2 released a statement calling for “coordinated, industry-wide, third-party testing of Takata airbag inflators.” Such testing could help ensure that all of the inflators that require replacement are accurately identified and fixed as quickly as possible, Honda said.
More Safety

Nexar-Nauto Merger Aims to Give Fleets Better Safety Intelligence Through Larger Driving Dataset
Stefan Heck tells Automotive Fleet that combining more than 10 billion miles of driving history with Nexar's AI models will give fleets deeper insights into driver risk and roadway conditions than either company could provide independently.
Read More →
Don't Wait for a Crisis: 5 Ways to Build Mental Health Into Your Fleet Safety Program
For Suicide Prevention Month, fleet and safety leaders have an opportunity to put mental health where it belongs: at the center of workplace safety.
Read More →
How Camera Data Can Strengthen a Fleet’s Insurance Renewal
Insights from a commercial insurance carrier and a broker show how fleets can turn video telematic data, driver coaching, and improved claims results into a stronger case at insurance renewal.
Read More →
The Safest Fleets Aren’t the Ones with the Most Technology
You’ve made the telematics investment. Here’s how to capture the other half of its value and build the safest fleet on the road.
Read More →
Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness
Read More →
NETS Sets 2026 Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference for Indianapolis
The Sept. 15–17 program will feature fleet benchmarking data, case studies, emerging technologies, and implementation strategies while running alongside the NSC Safety Congress & Expo.
Read More →
Off-the-Job Crashes Account for 43% of Employers’ $61.7 Billion Crash Burden
NETS quantifies costs dispersed across fleet, risk, HR, and other departments while providing new per-crash benchmarks for employers.
Read More →
Ram Recalls More Than 1.27 Million 1500 Pickups for Seat Belt Anchor Issue
The recall affects certain 2019-2026 Ram 1500 pickups that may have improperly attached second-row seat belt buckle anchors.
Read More →How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
Operation Safe Driver Week: Why the Industry's Oldest Safety Campaign Still Matters to Fleets
A look at how a 2007 enforcement initiative became one of the most consequential weeks on the fleet safety calendar, and what it means for your drivers in 2026.
Read More →