Senate Commerce Committee to hold hearings on Takata air bag recalls

A Senate committee will hold a hearing next week on recalls of potentially deadly air bags made by Japanese parts supplier Takata Corp.

The Commerce Committee hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday. The committee says in a notice that it will examine Takata's air bag recalls as well as the government's recall process.

Ten automakers have recalled nearly 8 million vehicles in the past year to replace Takata air bag inflators. The company's air bags can explode with too much force, shattering a metal canister and sending shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

The problem has been blamed for at least five deaths.