Business & Tech

Takata to Pay $70M Fine for Shrapnel-Shooting Air Bags

At least eight people have died and hundreds of people have been injured in air bag inflator ruptures.

Japanese air bag manufacturer Takata will pay a $70 million fine for its slow response to and notification of shrapnel-shooting air bags under a settlement reached with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The defective air bags are linked to at least eight deaths and hundreds of injuries, The Wall Street Journal reported.

More than 33.8 million vehicles were covered in a recall announced by the air bag manufacturer last spring to correct the flaw that caused the air bags to deploy with too much force and send shrapnel flying around the vehicle. Regulators said at the time that it was the largest product recall in history.

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The settlement with Takata comes two weeks after the NHTSA held a special meeting to discuss how to best coordinate the recall effort, which primarily involves vehicles made by BMW, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Ford Motor Co., Honda Motor and Mazda Motor.

Transportation officials say they know of 89 driver side and 32 passenger side inflator ruptures. At that rate, one in 10 ruptures of the driver side air bags results in a death.

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» Photo via National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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