Airbag maker Takata faces up to $200 million in fines for failing to disclose a defect in its airbags in what The New York Times calls the "stiffest civil punishment ever imposed in the auto industry." U.S. regulators slapped Takata with a $70 million fine Tuesday, and the company could face $130 million more in fines if it does not comply with a consent order with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"Takata said it had isolated the problem," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. "But we know that the ruptures have continued." The faulty airbags have been linked to eight deaths and more than 100 injuries and have prompted the recall of 19 million vehicles in the U.S.
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