september of 2013 erdman got into an excellent and the airbag deployed.tal that she says shot out of the airbag and into her face. >> i had a massive strike on my right side and i just blinded out on that side. >> reporter: erdman is now suing the honda and the maker of the airbag. both deny responsibility. her makeup call, part of the 8 million subject to an airbag recall, ten auto makers in total. there's no federal law stopping used car dealers from selling cars with open recalls or requiring them to check for them, so we wondered, what are used car dealers saying about the cars for sale on their lots with potentially dangerous táy abc news taking you undercover to see what sales people say about specific cars we know have open airbag recalls. only one dealer checked on the spot. >> a customer was just wanting to know if it had any recalls. >> reporter: some other places didn't check. >> you can tell me there's no recall. >> no. >> not for the airbags. >> not for the airbags. >> reporter: wrong. in fact, this location selling three other cars on the lo

lieutenant erdman. you heard her speak about notifications from honda that she did not receive so we did not effectively help her with a recalled vehicle. in addition she told me she brought the car to a honda dealer for other service. her thin number was not checked and as a result we lost opportunities to repair her vehicle. we failed lieutenant erdman and the dealer failed lieutenant erdman. our dealers are independent franchisees as you know communicate to them regularly about the importance of checking each car when it comes in for service to see if there are any outstanding recalls. we communicated that in march of this year and we communicated that the week or so ago. very often we are doing that. if you look at the complete testimony that i made we are endeavoring to continuously improve the way we reach out to customers. i have to say the population involved in these recalls are older vehicles. it is harder to track down the current owner. that is not an excuse. we have to do better. the failed

erdman stephanie erdman elise stefanik erdman >> pelley: tonight, the government urges a massive recallions of vehicles and defective airbags linked to at least five deaths. allen pizo deadly terror in the holy city. three americans are among the dead. israel's retaliation comes swiftly. jericka duncan on a buffalo stampede. the city is trampled by a white wall of winter, on the coldest november morning in the continental united states this century. ♪ feed the world >> pelley: and mark phillips with a blast from the past. 30 years after this, rock stars band together again to fight a new crisis in africa.

erdman stephanie erdman elise stefanik erdman >> pelley: tonight, the government urges a massive recall. millions of vehicles and defective airbags linked to at least five deaths. allen pizo deadly terror in the holy city. three americans are among the dead. israel's retaliation comes swiftly. jericka duncan on a buffalo stampede. the city is trampled by a white wall of winter, on the coldest november morning in the continental united states this century. ♪ feed the world >> pelley: and mark phillips with a blast from the past. 30 years after this, rock stars band together again to fight a new crisis in africa. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. if the government has its way, millions of american drivers will be taking their cars and light trucks into the shop to fix a defect that could kill them. late today, the transportation department called for the expansion of what has been a limited, regional recall of vehicles whose front driver-side airbags were made by japan's takata corporation. the government now wants a nat

erdman stephanie erdman elise stefanik erdman >> pelley: tonight, the government urges a massive recall. millions of vehicles and defective airbags linked to at least five deaths. allen pizo deadly terror in the holy city. three americans are among the dead. israel's retaliation comes swiftly. jericka duncan on a buffalo stampede. the city is trampled by a white wall of winter, on the coldest november morning in the continental united states this century. ♪ feed the world >> pelley: and mark phillips with a blast from the past. 30 years after this, rock stars band together again to fight a new crisis in africa.

we failed lieutenant erdman and the dealers failed lieutenant erdman. we have a policy art dealers are independent franchisees as you know. we communicate with them regularly about the importance of checking each car when it comes in for service to see if there are any outstanding recalls. we communicated that in march of this year. we communicated that a week or so ago. very often we are doing that. if you also look at the complete testimony that i made, we are endeavoring to continuously improve the way we reach out to customers. i have to say the populations involved in these recalls are older vehicles. it is harder to track down the current owner. that is not an excuse. we have to do better. we failed lieutenant erdman. >> because older vehicles may seem the ideal time when owners bring their men. >> i agree senator thune into our everlasting regret we missed those opportunities. >> and in the mail we are finding i think isn't the most effective way to get that message out there and these dealerships may be dropping the ball so i'm interested in kno

we failed lieutenant erdman and the dealer failed her. we have a policy, our dealers are independent, as you know, we communicate to them regularly about the importance of checking each car when it comes in for service to see if there are any outstanding recalls. we communicated that in march of this year. we communicated that a week or so ago. if you'd also look at the complete testimony that i made, we are endeavoring to continuously improve the way we reach out to customers. i have to say the populations involved in these recalls are older vehicles. it is harder to track down the current owner. that is not an excuse. we have to do better. we failed lieutenant erdman. >> we and because they're older vehicles, the i deal time is when somebody brings it in. >> i agree, senator. to our everlasting regret, we missed those opportunities. >> and the mail, we're finding out i think isn't the most effective way to get that message out there, and these dealerships may be dropping the ball. so i'm interested in knowing what you intend to do to im

ladies and gentlemen, my name is stephanie erdman. i'm honored to be here today to serve as the voice for the people who have been forever silenced because of this exploding takata air bags. on behalf of everyone who has suffered because of these defective air bags, i would like to thank the committee for holding this hearing. i hope that no other families will have to go through the ordeal my family and i have had to endure because this happened to me. on september 1st, 2013 my life was changed forever. i was driving my 2002 honda civic on highway 98 near egg land air force base, florida where i was stationed. i was on my way to get groceries with a friend. as i was driving, a car took a left in front of me. our cars collided. when the impact occurred, shrapnel from my car's a air bag shot through the air bag cloth and embedded into my right eye and cheek. i was instantly blinded on my right side. i felt gushing blood running down my neck and was terrified. when i got to the hospital, they did a ct scan of my face. a metallic foreign

first lieutenant united states air force stephanie erdman. graduate of university of texas, rotc graduate. one of her first duty stations of which she is a compliance and testing officer in the air force testing and evaluation command at the air force base. if you all can turn the posters, you can start to see something of the impact. she was driving a 2002 honda. this is what happened to her. the shredded air bag just like the one that i showed you here on the left poster. this is what the car looked like. she had a passenger. you can see the air bag still inflated in the car. unfortunately -- and she has given us permission -- when the lieutenant was being carried to the hospital, that's what hah she looked like. so lieutenant erdman, if you would share with us your story of what happened. >> yes, sir. good morning everyone. ladies and gentlemen, my name is stephanie erdman. i'm honored to be here today to serve as the voice for the people who have been forever silenced because of this exploding takata air bags. on behalf of everyone who ha

. >> reporter: air force lieutenant stephanie erdman was today's opening witness. she first told us her story in september and came to washington, she said, to be a voice for those who have been silenced. erdman barely survived an airbag explosion inside a honda civic last year. >> since that day, i have endured multiple surgeries and therapies. i have more to go still. my vision will never be the same. i will never be the same. >> reporter: takata executive hiroshi shimizu said the company was deeply sorry that airbags did not perform as they should. senator dean heller of nevada. >> i think there was something that was amiss in your testimony, and that was nowhere does it say takata takes full responsibility. does takata take full responsibility for this tragic defect? >> the-- our products in this accident worked anomalies, so that's caused accident. from that sense, yes. >> reporter: takata was pressed by senator ed markey of massachusetts to fix cars in all 50 stase. >> do you agree or disagree with n.h.t.s.a.'s call for a nationwide recall, mr. shimizu. >> se

victims like erdman hope the start of today's senate probe means being one step closer to getting all vehicles with potentially deadly air bags off the road. >> my vision will never be the same. i will never be the same. >> still to come for you leer on cnn, we'll take you to eastern ukraine where bitter fighting is putting innocent civilians at risk. >> it's been a year since ukraine suspended a pact with the european union which sparked violent protests that led to the ousting of the president there. >> a newly leased u.n. report says that more than 4300 people have been killed in that con flingt since april. nearly 1,000 of those deaths have actually occurred since the september cease-fire began. both sides accusing the other and a number of people displaced by the fighting has nearly doubled to more than 466,000. >> the region near the donetsk airport is considered one of the most contested places in eastern ewe train. >> the cease-fire has not stopped shells and rockets from falling there. some civilians were struggling to survive. >> reporter: this was the international airport

those already harmed. >> i hope it doesn't happen to anybody else. >> a thought echoed by stephanie erdman. >> i ask the committee to do everything in its power to make sure that every vehicle with a defective air bag is made safe. >> and lawmakers promised to do just that. they want those recalls to be expanded dramatically, they want them to include passenger side air bags not just driver side air bags. and immediately provide a rental car to any owner who has not had their car fixed. ali. >> tremendous military and financial implications. all told the u.s. spent more than $7 trillion over 40 years to prepare for a direct conflict between superpowers that thankfully never happened. in today's money that comes out to $16.4 trillion, roughly the equivalent size of america's entire economy today. on the military front both sides subscribe to a doctrine known as mutually assured destruction. if you send your nuks to our cities we'll retaliate and send you nukes too. both countries still have their nuclear war heads pointed at each other. meaning if this new cold war ever turns hot, the costs

lieutenant stephanie erdman is one of the many surviving victims.al pierced through the air bag of her 2002 honda after a minor crash. >> there was a metallic foreign object which punctured and fractured my right nasal bone and the tip of the shrapnel -- and the tip of the shrapnel had embedded in my right sinus. >> reporter: just this week, federal regulators demanded a recall of affected cars move nationwide. a move the air bag manufacturer is resisting. >> do you agree or disagree with nhtsa's call for a nationwide recall? >> senator, it's hard for me to answer yes or no. if you allow me -- >> it is not hard for you to answer yes or no. >> reporter: the issue remained, what did the companies know about the problems with the air bags and when did they know it? takata's vice president of quality assurance surrounded by cameras after but says nothing. victims like stephanie erdman hope the start of today's senate probe means being one step closer to getting all vehicle with potentially deadly air bags off the road. >> my vision will never be the sam

lieutenant erdman's honda is one of about 8 million cars in the u.s., made by 11 automakers, that havely limited to states with high humidity that can affect the inflators. takata's quality chief apologized today, but would not support a nationwide recall, as nhtsa, the national highway traffic safety administration, wants. >> sejáor, it's hard for me to answer yes or no, so if you allow me. >> it is not hard for you to answer yes or no. do you support the nationwide recall of airbags that the department of transportation has issued, yes or no? >> again senator, if we identifç the technical data from any incident to support nhtsa's new directions and work with automakers. >> i'm going to take that as a no, you do not agree. >> sreenivasan: another democratic senator, claire mccaskill of missouri, took honda and chrysler to task for confusing language used in recalls. >> we have been had more recalls in the last year and a half in american car manufacturing than in the history, probably more in the last year than we've had in many, many years combined. the problem is i don't think that

stephanie erdman lost sight in one of her eyes. she blames the takata air-bag in her honda civic. she said the car maker hasn't handled the problem the right way. honda's representative said the firm wanted to put customer safety first and he apologized to medium who've been affected. >> we understand the urgency of the current situation and are taking proactive steps to encourage honda and acura owners to get their vehicles repaired. >> executives at the car maker have recalled more than 6 million cars worldwide. shimizu said takata hasn't found any problem with the way it's conducted recalls. he said the firm accepts responsibility for three deaths but it's still investigating two others. lawmakers blame takata and honda for not doing enough to uphold safety standards. they called for an independent investigation. >> i want to know from someone in your company after oath whether those standards were applied to every airbag design. >> i think your company is making a big mistake in not supporting this recall wholeheartedly. >> the family member of a woman who died in an accident

. >> reporter: when 29 year-old stephanie erdman got into a car accident last year, it was the airbag that she says caused the most damage. >> it's supposed to protect me. it's supposed to help me in a crash. >> reporter: she says this piece of twisted metal shot out of the airbag and into her face. >> and i had a massive strike on my right side. >> reporter: her car is one of about eight million subject to an airbag recall and some of those are now for sale in used car lots. so we wanted to see what used car dealers tell customers about this potential danger. in three states, out of nine dealers, only one checked on the spot. >> the customer just wanted to know if it had any recalls. >> reporter: but this salesman? he says this suv has no recall for the airbags. >> but you can tell me that there's no recall on this? >> there's no recall on this one. >> not for the airbags? >> not for the airbags. >> reporter: wrong. so we made a return visit. roberto, hi, gio benitez with abc news. so listen, you told gerry that this didn't have a recall, but it does. >> it does? >> reporter: yeah. r

. >> reporter: on capitol hill senators heard from 29-year-old stephanie erdman partially blinded in an accident last year. you're angry with takata and honda. >> absolutely. they knew about this well before i had my accident. >> reporter: honda today apologized, never telling her of a recall during three service visits. also today we heard for the first time from a takata executive. >> we are deeply sorry about each of the reported instances. >> reporter: says takata does not agree with a nationwide airbag recall because the data does not justify it. >> i think your company is making a big mistake. >> reporter: the company says it first learned of a problem in 2005, three years before honda's first recall. >> did takata put profits ahead of safety, sir? >> reporter: no response from questions from nbc or the japanese media as the airbag giant finds itself on the offensive. tom costello, nbc news, capitol hill. >>> bill cosby set to perform tonight for a benefit in the bahamas for a volunteer organization whose membership includes thousands of mostly african-american women in busines

representatives from takata, honda, and chrysler will testify, along with stephanie erdman, who nearlyied when her airbag exploded. ll every day, even when i look in the mirror, i can still feel that piece inside me. i have no idea to this day how i kept my eye. it was a miracle. >> reporter: n.h.t.s.a. says its demand for a national recall was spurred in part by an air bag explosion in north carolina this month. that happened outside the origial recall zone. scott, one big question that remains here is what are they replacing these old air bags with? the new air bags also contain ammonium nitrate, which is one of the issues here. the question is are these new airbags any safer? today, n.h.t.s.a. could not answer that question. >> pelley: jeff, thank you very much. now, the government is still putting together the list of the vehicles it wanted recalled, and as we get the information we're going to post it for you on cbsnews.com. a fifth person has now died after the worst violence in jerusalem in years. he's a police officer who was wounded when he came to the aid of three american ra

lieutenant stephanie erdman is one of the survives.al pierced through the air bag of her honda after a crash. >> there was a metallic object that punctured and fractured my nasal bone. and the touch the shrapnel -- and the tip of the shrapnel had embedded in my right sinus. >> reporter: just this week, federal regulators demanded a recall of the cars, a move that the air bag manufacturer is resisting. >> do you agree or disagree with a recall? >> it's hard to answer yes or no. >> it is not hard for you to answer yes or no. >> the issue remained, what did the companies know about the problems with the air bags? and when did they know it? takata's vice president of quality assurance, surrounded by cameras after, but says nothing. victims like stephanie hope the start of today's senate probe means being one step closer of getting all veejs with potentially deadly airbags off the road. >> my vision will never be the same. i will never be the same. >> takata is a well-established auto parts company that supplies one in five airbags globally

. >> when we last saw barbara erdman, she was 65 years old and one year into her ten-year sentence forer. >> my husband had left me after 30 years, and i was having a very tough time with it. and all of a sudden i decided i was going to be me again. and i went over to his house. he had moved out, and i went over to his house where he lived, and i wanted to tell him to keep whatever pension and stuff he had and just sign the house over to me. and he got very irate and starting beating me up. but when i backed up, his gun was on the counter -- he carried it once in a while -- and i picked it up and tried to scare him. he backed off, but then he came at me. and i pulled the trigger, i guess. i really don't remember it clearly. it went off and he died. >> barbara had more difficulty adjusting to her time in prison than the others. barbara will soon be 71. >> no. this is not life, i tell you that. you're definitely being punished. that's for sure. it's a nightmare. i still have not gotten over the shock of being here. and everything is so different. people are so different. they're not peop

. >> when stephanie erdman got into a car accident last year it was the air bag that caused the mostamage. >> it's supposed to protect me and help me in a crash. >> reporter: this piece of twisted metal shot out of the air bag and into her face. >> i had a massive strike on my right side. >> reporter: her car is 1 of about 8 million subject to an air bag recall. some of those are now for sale in used car lots. we wanted to see what used car dealers tell customers. in three states out of nine dealers, only one checked on the spot. but this salesman says this suv has no recall for the air bags. >> but you can tell me there's no recall? >> there's not a recall on this one. >> not for the air bags? >> wrong. so we made a return visit. you told jerry this didn't have a recall. but it does. >> it does? >> yeah. roberto says it's not his fault. it's the manufacturer's. >> do you feel any responsibility for the kinds of cars you're selling? >> of course, yes. we need somebody to let us quo know and that person is the company, the manufacturer. >> recall letter goes to the registered owner. t

first lieutenant united states air force stephanie erdman. graduate of university of texas, rotc graduate. one of her first duty stations of which she is a compliance and testing officer in the air force testing and evaluation command at the air force base. if you all can turn the posters, you can start to see something of the impact.

. >> i'd like to thank lieutenant erdman for being here. is the year of the airbags. g.m. had defects with airbags that would not deploy. and now we have takata airbags shrapnel into the face of those that are driving. knowis committee knows, i a little bit about cars, i race them, i build them, i break them.and i fix i probably break them more than i race them, but that just seems out. the way it works but i will tell you the most terrifyinghing driver aperiences is a ash, and th moment the onhi that tters in tir les is at aiag emerginhes from all oureang this yr fm isomtt anourubmmte it tenooonorhe foatn und whith he ia fe anhegeinthe cs f road. i'prd snd wh nar nson, a mcskl. hathhile ows tilsoe e ndms wreeeg me ain wh esrell it myopth aigfint neryayt llethi plicasrhe ftemes sinlis. hicoitas k th he. ndo owhath kw d enheknt. y e ewle rkim" aic tlles atheayavbe a thand'mla sa he. stdath psint ortehinonaon nt aintroro e esenaniavcaedn oreseno ts mohs n. wl vw is ninnd ocs m aorng. nd onrm mistto is enlmt ye a ieahathtrt e bl hn isgey habe ederely onof t cces ha is na otbl

so lieutenant erdman, if you would share with us your story of what happened. >> yes, sir. good morning everyone. ladies and gentlemen, my name is stephanieredman. i'm honored to be here today to serve as the voice for the people who have been forever silenced because of this exploding takata air bags. on behalf of everyone who has suffered because of these defective air bags, i would like to thank the committee for holding this hearing. i hope that no other families will have to go through the ordeal my family and i have had to endure because this happened to me. on september 1st, 2013 my life was changed forever. i was driving my 2002 honda civic on highway 98 near egg land air force base, florida where i was stationed. i was on my way to get groceries with a friend. as i was driving, a car took a left in front of me. our cars collided. when the impact occurred, shrapnel from my car's a air bag shot through the air bag cloth and embedded into my right eye and cheek. i was instantly blinded on my right side. i felt gushing blood running down my neck and was terrified. when

lieutenant stephanie erdman is one of the many surviving victims.sh. >> there was a metallic object which puncture and fractured my right nasal bone and the tip of the shrapnel -- and the tip of the shrapnel had embedded in my right sinus. >> just this week, federal regulators demanded a recall of the affected cars move nationwide. a move the air bag manufacturer is resisting. >> do you agree or disagree with nhtsa's call for a nationwide recall? >> senator, it's hard for me to answer yes or no, so if you allow me -- >> it is not hard for you to answer yes or no. >> reporter: the issue remained, what did the companies know about the problems with the, aand when did they know it? takata's vice president of quality assurance, surrounded by cameras after, but says nothing. victims like stephanie erdman hope the start of today's senate probe means being one step closer to getting all vehicles with potentially deadly air bags off the road. >> my vision will never be the same. i will never be the same. >> this monday, honda must hand over critical documen

lieutenant erdman is one of the many surviving victims, metal pierced through the air bag of her 2002a metallic foreign object which had punctured and fractured my right nasal bone and the tip of the shrapnel -- and the tip of the shrapnel embedded in my right sinus. >> reporter: federal regulators demanded a recall of affected cars move nationwide, a move the air bag manufacturer is resisting. >> do you agree or disagree with the call for a nationwide recall? >> senator, it's hard for me to answer yes or no so if you allow me -- >> it is not hard for you to answer yes or no. >> reporter: the issue remained what did the companies know about the problems with the air bags and when did they know it? takata's vice president of quality assurance surrounded by cameras after, but says nothing. victims like stephanie hope the start of today's senate probe means being one step closer to getting all vehicles with potentially deadly air bags off the road. >> my vision will never be the same. i will never be the same. >> this monday honda must hand over critical documents and answer questions un

. >> the victim lieutenant stephanie erdman, she received the recall notice three days after her crashs to the dealership to get her car serviced, no one alerted her that her car had been recalled. take a listen to her testimony. >> when the impact occurred, shrapnel from my car's air bag shot through the air bag cloth and embedded in to my right eye and cheek. i was instantly blinded on my right side. since that day i've endured multiple surgeries and therapies, i have more to go, still. my vision will never be the same. i will never be the same. >> yeah, she says she'll never be the same and honda in its own words saying it failed her. the automaker apologized to her yesterday. for nearly three hours, senators grilled an executive from the air bag manufacturer, takata. auto execs as well as safety regulators about these defective air bags linked to five deaths and multiple injuries. just this week federal regulators demanded recall of affected cars, a move that takata is still resisting. back to you, alisyn. >> rene, thanks so much for that background. kim koff, believes her sister,