Report: Takata Could Pay $1 Billion to Settle Probe

CARS.COM — Citing unnamed sources, Reuters reports that Takata Corp. is expected to pay $1 billion to settle an investigation with the U.S. Department of Justice as early as Friday. Takata is expected to plead guilty to fraud charges and make restitution to some victims and automakers, according to Reuters.

Related: Is Your Car Part of the Takata Airbag Recall?

Jared Levy, a spokesman for Takata, declined comment to Cars.com. Asked about the report, the Department of Justice did not immediately respond.

The embattled auto supplier’s faulty airbag inflators have been connected to 11 deaths and more than 100 injuries in the U.S. So far, approximately 46 million inflators in 29 million cars from more than a dozen automakers are under recall across the country. It’s a total that’s still rising after massive expansions in 2016, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says only about 12.5 million airbags have been repaired as of early December 2016. NHTSA expects the recall total to reach 64 million to 69 million inflators in 42 million cars by 2020.