(CN) - The Honda Motor Company was fined $70 million by the National Highway Safety Administration Thursday for failing to report fatalities, injuries and certain warranty claims involving its vehicles.
The agency says an investigation revealed Honda failed to submit early warning reports that are used to identify potential and existing safety issues with vehicles sold in the United States.
In November, Honda acknowledged it grossly underreported the number of deaths and injury claims it reported over an eleven year period.
An audit the company commissioned found the automaker failed to report 1,729 death and injury claims between 2003 and 2014.
The disclosers came as Honda was being buffeted by complaints from the government and safety advocates over its compliance with the early warning reporting program.
Honda blamed the underreporting on human error, including mistakes in interpreting the regulations, data entry, programming and coding errors.
The $70 million penalty is the largest the Highway Safety Administration has ever levied against an automaker.
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