Just as a Tampa Bay area woman comes forward to say she was injured by a Takata air bag, a new report suggests at least four automakers are selling new vehicles with potentially bad air bags in them.

  • Jennifer Vu was injured by metal shards from air bag in April crash
  • She appeared at news conference with Sen. Bill Nelson
  • New report suggests defective air bags being installed in new cars

The Takata air bag recall is enormous with 14 auto manufacturers impacted and nearly 80 million airbag inflators needing to be replaced.

On Wednesday, during a news conference with Sen. Bill Nelson, Tiffany Vu talked to the media about a fender-bender she was in that ended with doctors removing shards of metal from her body at a hospital.

''I have this scar on my arm; I have this one down here where they removed a chunk of metal at the accident site," Vu said, holding up her scarred arm. "I have one across my chest and multiple through here."

Vu's accident happened in April on a routine trip to her gym on U.S. 301. Her car, a 2004 Honda Accord, was equipped with Takata air bags.

A report by a U.S. Senate commerce committee says some 2016 and 2017 vehicle models from Fiat Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Volkswagen have a type of inflator that is prone to rupture and presents a potential danger to drivers and passengers. At least 11 deaths worldwide are related to the defect.

Takata inflators can deteriorate over time when exposed to moisture and high temperatures. Takata has agreed to recall original equipment inflators that lack a drying agent in phases by the end of 2018.

Nelson says the automakers should replace the inflators before the cars are sold so they don't eventually have to be recalled. But the cars currently aren't under recall and can be sold legally.

"It is absolutely ridiculous that the American consumer buys a new car only to find out that in two years that it's going to be recalled," said the Democratic senator.

Nelson also said the newer cars with defective air bags may go bad even quicker in Florida because of the heat and humidity. That's why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has identified Florida as a priority region for Takata recalls.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.