US to fine air bag maker Takata $14,000 per day

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The U.S. government will fine Japanese air bag maker Takata Corp. $14,000 per day for failing to fully cooperate in a long-running investigation of faulty and potentially dangerous air bag inflators.

The inflators, which are in cars made by 10 auto companies, can explode with too much force, spewing shrapnel into drivers and passengers. At least six people have been killed and 64 injured worldwide due to problem.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the fines today in Richmond, on a bus tour to promote a major transportation bill. He called Takata a "bad actor" and said the fines will grow each day that it fails to comply with two special orders issued last year by the department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Takata has resisted demands to recall its driver's side air bags nationwide, although automakers have done recalls themselves. The agency also has demanded data from the company, but said in a letter to Takata that it has failed to explain a "deluge" of 2.4 million pages of documents that were turned over.

Federal law requires Takata to provide a catalog or index with the documents so investigators know what to look for.