In the middle of what would become the largest automotive recall in American history, the Japanese airbag manufacturer Takata halted global safety audits to save money, according to internal company emails cited in a report published on Monday by a Senate committee.

That order was one of many serious safety lapses at Takata detailed in the report released by Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat and the ranking minority member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

On Tuesday, a Takata executive is among those scheduled to testify before the committee about its defective airbags, which can unexpectedly rupture and send metal shards flying into a vehicle’s cabin.

Takata quickly disputed the report’s findings as misleading, however, saying that the emails had been taken out of context. The company said that it had conducted regular reviews of product quality and safety and that the halted global audits referred to in the report related only to worker safety, not product quality or safety.