Honda recently admitted that it failed to report to federal safety regulators more than 1,700 injury and death claims including those involving airbag problems in its vehicles.

The Japanese automaker, in a statement, also said it became aware of the omissions in 2011, but took about three years to take action. The company said it filed documents detailing the lapses with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which had demanded an explanation on Nov. 3 regarding the lapse detailing Takata airbag problems.

Honda has recalled more than 5 million vehicles in the United States since 2008 to fix a potentially fatal defect in the Takata airbags. The issue came to light as Honda has already come under attack for its handling of recalls of the defective Takata airbags, which can explode during deployment, firing shrapnel into the driver.

Honda is Takata’s biggest customer, and it has been the most impacted by the Takata recall. Honda blamed the lapses on inadvertent data entry and computer programming errors, as well as a misinterpretation of the federal TREAD act, a law passed in 2000 requiring faster reporting of deaths, injuries and safety defects by automakers.

Under the law, automakers must report each quarter any claims they receive alleging that defective vehicles or parts caused a death or injury. NHTSA has the authority to fine automakers up to $35 million for failing to report defects in a timely manner. U.S. law also holds car makers criminally liable if they intentionally violate the reporting requirements and a safety defect causes death or serious injury.

Takata Airbag Recall

Takata, a Japanese supplier of auto safety parts, has come under fire for airbags that can explode and spray shrapnel-like material after inflating. Many of the top global automakers used the faulty airbags.

Since 2008, more than 14 million vehicles have been recalled. In the United States, an estimated 7.8 million vehicles have Takata airbags that are at high risk of failing, according to NHTSA.

U.S. car manufacturers have mostly limited recalls to areas with humid climates, citing research that suggests humidity causes the airbag inflators to rupture. Last month, NHTSA requested that Takata and affected automakers expand recalls to repair all driver-side airbags with faulty inflators.

Takata has said a recall of affected vehicles in all 50 states would roughly double the U.S. total to 16 million. Honda vehicles account for approximately 5.1 million of the cars included in NHTSA’s estimate.