Honda Launches Audit of Safety Reports to NHTSA

Honda Motor Co. says it began a third-party audit last month into its process of reporting injury and death claims to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Honda revealed the audit a day after the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Auto Safety accused the company of delaying or hiding incidents, especially those involving defective Takata Inc. airbag inflators.

Honda and nine other carmakers have recalled about 10.5 million vehicles in the past five years to replace the faulty inflators, which can explode when triggered.

Carmakers are required by law to file quarterly updates on customer complaints, warranty claims, product lawsuits and fatalities and injuries involving their vehicles. But the Center for Auto Safety asserts that Honda's skimpy reports hindered the safety agency's ability to define the scope of the Takata airbag inflator problem.

The center notes that General Motors and Toyota each reported more than 1,700 claims of injuries and fatalities involving its vehicles last year compared with only 28 from Honda. Honda says its lower number is because it hasn't been reporting verbal claims, a practice it says is allowed by NHTSA rules.