The aircraft manufacturer Airbus said on Tuesday that it may have violated United States rules on arms exports, potentially expanding a corruption investigation that has already shaken the company in Europe.

Airbus, Boeing’s main rival in the passenger jet business, said that it had provided false information to the State Department about its compliance with rules on arms sales overseas.

Airbus provided few details except to say that the inaccuracies related to American regulations on fees and commissions paid to sales agents.

The disclosure raised the prospect that corruption investigations involving the company in Europe, to do with the use of middlemen to pay bribes, could spread to the United States, which typically imposes much higher fines and stiffer court judgments. In an industry that relies heavily on ties with government, Airbus could also be at a disadvantage competing for contracts, or even be frozen out altogether.