NHTSA Imposes Largest Civil Penalty In Its History On Takata And Accelerates Air Bag Recalls

Earlier today the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued two orders it said are “designed to protect the traveling public from defective Takata air bag inflators.” The agency said the orders impose the largest civil penalty in its history -- $200 million -- for Takata’s violations of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, and for the first time used its authority to accelerate recall repairs to millions of affected vehicles in order to get safe air bags installed. The recall involves 12 vehicle manufacturers and approximately 19 million vehicles, according to federal data.