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Takata pleads guilty in air bag scandal

DETROIT (AP) — Japanese auto parts maker Takata Corp. pleaded guilty to fraud Monday and agreed to pay a $1 billion penalty for concealing a deadly defect in millions of its air bags.

Takata admitted hiding evidence that its air bag inflators can explode with too much force, hurling shrapnel into drivers and passengers.

The inflators are blamed for at least 16 deaths worldwide — 11 of them in the U.S. — and more than 180 injuries. The problem touched off the biggest recall in U.S. automotive history.

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