A lot of auto dealerships across the state are fielding calls from concerned car owners. That’s after federal officials have increased a recall to a total of 7.8 million vehicles equipped with Takata brand airbags. Dave Wright, of Dave Wright Auto in Cedar Rapids, told KCRG-TV that his receptionists are keeping busy on the phone. “We’ve experienced several calls each day from customers with questions about how to handle the recall,” Wright said.

The recall involves cars of many makes and models, manufactured from 2000 to 2008. Three million additional vehicles are being recall than previously announced. Safety experts said the airbag can explode, shooting shrapnel into the faces of the people in the car. Now, dealerships are watching and waiting for updates, especially with the growth of that list of cars involved.  “Nissan acknowledged it a year ago and have repaired or at least had the campaign so customers had the opportunity to come in as much as a year ago and have their airbags replaced,” Wright said.

Auto companies send out a letters to everyone impacted with instructions on what to do. If your car is on that list of recalls, it’s also important to remember that it does not typically include every single car made during that time frame. “If you provide your (vehicle identification number), we’ll run it, and we will be able to tell you if you are in there and if you need the part replaced,” Wright said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the airbags are more of an urgent issue in places of high humidity and temperatures. So, it is especially urging people in warm-weather states to see that the problem is fixed quickly.

(KCRG-TV/Cedar Rapids via Radio Iowa)