Honda fined $70 million for hiding death and injury data from feds

By Elvina Nawaguna

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co. has agreed to pay $70 million to the U.S. government in penalties for failing to report hundreds of injuries, deaths and other consumer claims involving its cars, transportation officials said on Thursday.

Honda will pay two $35 million fines, making it the largest amount ever paid by an automaker as a result of an investigation by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The agency's fines are capped by law at $35 million per incident. Other automakers have settled civil claims with the U.S. government over safety defects for far more.

The automaker has been under investigation for violations of NHTSA's Early Warning Reporting regulations. The rules require automakers to report quickly any information about possible defects, deaths and injuries or damage and warranty claims made by consumers.

In November, Honda revealed it had failed to report 1,729 cases involving deaths or injuries between July 2003 and June 2014.

Eight of those incidents involved Takata Corp air bags that had ruptured and have been the subject of massive recalls and federal investigations.