Takata expected to take ownership of faulty airbags, pay huge fine

Detroit - Japanese auto parts maker Takata Corp. is expected to plead guilty to a criminal charge and agree to a $1 billion penalty for concealing a deadly air bag inflator problem.

False reports

Company representatives are scheduled to be in US District Court in Detroit. The company agreed in January to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud.

Three executives also have been indicted on charges that they falsified test reports.

READ: 3 Takata workers indicted, accused of hiding airbag defects

Takata inflators can explode with too much force, spewing shrapnel into drivers and passengers. At least 16 people have been killed worldwide and more than 180 have been hurt.

Judge George Caram Steeh is expected to be asked to appoint attorney Kenneth Feinberg to distribute restitution payments to victims and their families.