The top U.S. safety regulator on Tuesday has imposed a fine that could be as high as $200 million on air-bag supplier Takata Corp and ordered it to quit making inflators that use ammonium nitrate as a propellant, according to Reuters. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cited the chemical as a factor in explosive air-bag ruptures that have caused seven deaths and nearly 100 injuries in the United States. In an unusual move, Honda Motor Co on Tuesday said it was "deeply troubled" by evidence suggesting Takata "misrepresented and manipulated test data for certain air bag inflators." Honda was Takata's largest air-bag customer. NHTSA said $70 million of the Takata fine was payable in cash, with another $130 million due if Takata does not comply or if the agency uncovers additional violations of safety regulations. The regulator said 12 automakers had recalled 19 million vehicles with more than 23 million inflators but that millions of unrecalled vehicles could still be on the road with inflators that use ammonium nitrate, a compound that can become unstable when exposed to moisture. NHTSA also said it might take four more years for manufacturers to come up with enough replacement inflators for the vehicles that already have been recalled.
