Blaming "inadvertent data entry or computer programming errors," Honda Motor Co. filed an internal review on Monday saying it had failed to report 11 years' worth of injuries and deaths related to its vehicles, Bloomberg reports.
The company failed to report more than 1,700 claims to U.S. regulators from July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2014; automakers can be fined $7,000 per violation per day, and Honda's lapse is so long that the automaker's fines may actually surpass the maximum civil penalty of $35 million.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether Honda failed to report airbag-related deaths and injuries. That audit, which has yet to be made public, "identifies difficult facts where we did not meet our obligations," said Rick Schostek, executive vice president of Honda North America.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.