The top U.S. auto safety regulator on Tuesday imposed a fine that could be as high as $200 million on air-bag supplier Takata Corp and ordered it to stop making inflators that use ammonium nitrate as a propellant. 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.
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