According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, more than 32 million vehicles produced by 11 different U.S. automakers have been recalled to replace frontal airbags on the driver’s side or passenger’s side, or both. The airbags, which were made by parts supplier Takata, were installed in cars from model years 2002 through 2008, and the recall has now been expanded through 2014 in some instances.

The recall was made because some Takata airbags could deploy explosively, injuring or even killing car occupants. The different automakers’ notices to their customers have varied, depending on how many Takata airbags they installed and how long they believe it will take them to acquire replacement parts. Currently, the automakers are prioritizing resources by focusing on high-humidity areas. “This would include Georgia,” noted David Mann, founder of a family-focused personal injury law firm in Macon.

“As with all recalls, we recommend having the work performed as soon as parts are available and the service can be scheduled,” Mann said, “especially since it has been determined that age of the airbag is a key factor in the ruptures to date. But it is extremely important to also keep this in perspective: although the incidents involved with the Takata airbags are horrible, they are very rare.”

There have been six fatalities and over 100 injuries linked to the Takata airbags. On the other hand, NHTSA estimates that frontal airbags have saved nearly 43,000 lives.