Mealey's (February 28, 2017, 3:10 PM EST) -- DETROIT — Takata Corp. on Feb. 27 pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in Michigan federal court and agreed to pay $1 billion in criminal penalties in a case in which the air bag maker was charged with misleading consumers into believing that their air bags were safe when the air bags were prone to exploding during car crashes, leading to deaths and injuries, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (United States of America v. Takata Corp., No. 2:16-CR-20810, E.D. Mich.)....