Takata Facing Huge Fine For Airbag Recalls

2004 Honda Element (Credit: Honda)

In case you’ve been living under a rock for a few years, Takata has a little bit of an airbag problem. Thanks to inflators that like to shrapnel, sending sharp metal slicing through the airbag and people, the supplier is facing up to $1 billion in fines, per a Wall Street Journal report.

So far, investigators have linked 11 deaths in the United States to the faulty airbags. Many more non-fatal injuries have also been suffered. There’s a growing number of lawsuits against the company, plus an ongoing criminal investigation.

The Wall Street Journal claims government officials and Takata attorneys are working out a deal. Apparently, the company would plead guilty, but get a settlement that includes the humongous fine. This could happen in January, or get pushed to February.

Yeah, it’s a really bad time to be Takata. All these recalls, deaths and investigations have seriously damaged the company’s reputation. It’s difficult to find cars without Takata airbags on the market today, but in the future that might not be the case.