With Growing List Of Auto Recalls, A Closer Look At Regulation

With guest host John Harwood.

Millions of faulty airbags in our cars, are set for recall.  We look at what’s wrong with how Washington regulates road safety.

Airbags that project shrapnel. Ignition switches that switch off on their own. Unintended acceleration.  Millions of cars on American roads affected by recall notices that just keep on coming. What’s wrong with how automobiles are made? What’s wrong with how government regulates the industry?  Are cars really becoming less safe? Is your confidence shaken? We’ll hear from a leading journalist covering the industry, a crusader for safety improvements, and an auto industry executive. This hour, On Point: An iconic American industry under the microscope.
-- John Harwood

Phil LeBeau, auto and airline industry reporter for CNBC and NBC News. (@lebeaucarnews)

Sean Kane, founder and president of Safety Research and Strategies. (@safe4u2)

Larry Dominique, executive vice president for industry solutions at TrueCar. Former VP of product planning at Nissan North America.

New York Times: Takata Saw and Hid Risks in Airbags in 2004, Former Workers Say — "Today, 11 automakers have recalled more than 14 million vehicles worldwide because of the rupture risks. Four deaths have been tied to the defect, which can cause the airbag’s steel canister to crack and explode into pieces when the device deploys in a crash. The airbags are inflated by means of a propellant, based on a common compound used in fertilizer, that is encased in the canister, which together are known as the inflater."

Safety Research and Strategies: GM Airbag Non-Deployments: What the NHTSA Data Really Show -- "Solutions for NHTSA’s systemic problems need to include more than increased funding – which the agency certainly can use – but putting more money into an agency that hides behind incomplete, unscientific data to defend itself when scandals break is not a sound investment."

The Wall Street Journal: Chrysler Recalls 350,000 Cars Over Ignition Switch — "Despite complaints, GM continued using the switch before it issued a recall earlier this year—more than 11 years after the problem was discovered.A total of 21 deaths have been linked to GM's defective ignition-switch, and the delay in issuing a recall has resulted in a $35 million U.S. fine for delayed reporting of the flaw and numerous investigations, including one being conducted by the U.S. Justice Department."