Takata President Expected To Resign

The head of Takata Corp. is expected to resign later this week as the company continues to address the fallout from defective airbag inflators.

Shigehisa Takada, the grandson of the company's founder, took over as president in 2014 after the departure of Stefan Stocker due to the inflator scandal. He also serves as chairman and CEO.

Kyodo News International reported that Takada will step down Friday during a meeting with automakers.

The company also plans to inform automakers about its plans during the Friday meeting, which could include a management overhaul and a proposal for car companies to help meet recall costs.

Tens of millions of vehicles worldwide were recalled over the inflators, which can inflate too quickly and send metal fragments into vehicle interiors. At least ten people — including 9 in the U.S. — died in accidents as a result of the defect.

Another option for addressing recall costs, Kyodo News reported, could be a merger with Daicel Corp., a Japanese chemical company that also makes airbag inflators.

Ford this week recalled thousands of Ranger pickup trucks amid concerns over a different Takata inflator model, and U.S. regulators suggested that up to 5 million additional vehicles could be added to an existing recall.

A Takata-commissioned investigation of the problems by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany is also expected to be released soon.