Photo: joe skipper/ReutersJapanese automotive supplier Takata Corp. pleaded guilty to criminal wrongdoing and agreed to pay $1 billion in penalties for providing misleading testing reports to auto makers on rupture-prone air bags installed in millions of vehicles. The company has expressed regret for its safety transgressions and pledged cooperation with government officials and auto makers. The plaintiffs’ lawyers alleged Nissan, for instance, switched to Takata air-bag inflaters to save $4 on each device. Ford overruled its own inflater expert who opposed the ammonium-nitrate propellant in Takata air bags, the court documents alleged. That chemical can destabilize when exposed to moisture over time, leading to explosions, according to investigations by U.S. officials, auto makers and Takata.

Source: Wall Street Journal February 27, 2017 22:04 UTC