Report: U.S. to fine airbag maker Takata $70 million over mishandled recall

The U.S. government will hand down a $70 million fine to Japanese airbag maker Takata for mishandling a recall of some 33.8 million faulty airbag inflators, according to the Associated Press.

Frankly, I am surprised this move hasn't come sooner.

In May, Takata agreed to recall its airbag inflators in what became the largest-ever recall in the U.S. The bags could send metal shards rocketing at high speed into vehicle passenger compartments, which were linked to six deaths. Prior to that, the U.S. government had fined the Japanese company $14,000 per day for its unwillingness to cooperate with a then-government probe, according to a Wall Street Journal report in February. Read more...