Takata Execs Face Criminal Charges In Airbag Scandal

(RTTNews) - The US has indicted three former Takata executives for fraud and conspiracy regarding the exploding airbags.

The US government has flied criminal charges against Shinichi Tanaka, Hideo Nakajima and Tsuneo Chikaraishi. All three had worked for Takata until around 2015 in the United States and Japan.

Takata has pleaded guilty to criminal misconduct after its defective air bags were linked to several deaths. The company has agreed to pay $1 billion in penalties.

Among the deaths, 11 were in the U.S., while more than 180 people have been injured in U.S. accidents involving faulty bags.

As per reports, the settlement includes a $25 million criminal fine, and $125 million in victim compensation. The remaining $850 million is to compensate automakers who have suffered losses from massive recalls following the ruptures.

These include some 19 automakers, who were forced to recall as many as 42 million vehicles with nearly 70 million Takata air bags to replace faulty air bag inflators.