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 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.

to 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

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

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

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.

19-year-old american hero, stephanie erdman, a lieutenant for the air force says she will always carryhave been defective. >> it's supposed to help me, not cause more damage. >> reporter: it was her very first car, a 2002 honda civic she bought used in 2006. >> my dad liked it because it was safe and affordable. >> reporter: but she was never made aware that the airbags were recalled a few years later. september of 2013 erdman got into an excellent and the airbag deployed. this is the piece of twisted metal 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 u

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: 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

. >> 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

i first want to thank lieutenant stephanie erdman for being here today, thank you also for your service to our country. we appreciate you coming here to tell your story and help inform this committee. this hearing is an important one and our discussion today will explore matters of public safety and accountability. ensuring the safety of america's motorists is a priority, but the public's trust has been shaken due to the record number of recalls this year and the beliefs many have about problems in the industry and at ntsa. this year record fines have been levied against toyota, g.m. and hyundai. now with the latest problems with takata airbags, we're examining aan apparent failure with serious consequences. today we will be asking takata questions about how these faulty products made it into consumer'' vehicles when the problem was first discovered and what steps if any could have been taken seen owe sooner that may have save lives and prevented injuries. whether the allegations were reported in the "new york times." questions also exist about the approach to these recalls and the wisd

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 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.

air force lieutenant stephanie erdman went before the senate commerce committee to recount her 2013 accidentom my car's airbag shot through the airbag cloth and embedded into my right eye and cheek. i was instantly blinded on my right side. i felt rushing blood running down my neck. i was terrified. what happened to me was gruesome.ç the photo that the e.m.t. took of me with the schrapnel embedded in my eye is scary to look at. but i believe that this is necessary to grab the attention of those who have the ability to do something, and keep this from happening to anyone else. >> sreenivasan: the japanese manufacturer takata made the air bags. their inflators can fire with too much force, sending metal shards flying. lieutenant erdman's honda is one of about 8 million cars in the u.s., made by 11 automakers, that have been recalled for the problem. they're largely 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,

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

. >> 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,