Since they have become standard in cars, we’ve come to acknowledge how important of a safety feature our airbags are. Newer cars even go so far as to add airbags in the back seats, side curtains, and other areas of the car rather than the traditional dashboard-based airbags. So, when it comes to our airbags failing — or even worse, causing problems — we are left feeling a little uneasy and also a little annoyed. That seems to stand true with the ongoing Takata airbag recall, and your safety might be affected by it.

The airbag recall that keeps getting worse

According to Consumer Reports, as many as 19 car manufacturers have been affected by the Takata airbag recall — yikes! Since the initial recall was announced, a snowball of airbags have come into question, with as many as 63 million airbags currently affected. If that isn’t scary enough, several of the manufacturers in question have reported airbag-related deaths as a result of the faulty airbag.

The list goes on

Scrolling through the list of vehicles potentially affected by the airbag recall is seemingly endless, and it just seems to continue getting worse. It seems that almost every major manufacturer from Honda to BMW has vehicles with these faulty airbags, and now that Takata has filed bankruptcy, the need for parts is being met by other airbag manufacturers — and after all of the chaos, we can’t say that this is disappointing.

“It was not possible for all replacement parts to be available right away, and some vehicles were at much higher risk of a dangerous airbag explosion than others”

Karen Aldana, agency spokewoman

While the recall work is free to customers, the sheer number of vehicles affected has made it difficult to get the replacement done in a timely manner. The NHTSA is currently working to prioritize vehicles in areas with higher numbers of airbag-related incidents.

Should I stop driving my car if it has an airbag recall?

The Takata airbag recall has been going on for so long now that it seems many customers are losing hope in ever having it resolved. According to the NHTSA, there is no stop-driving order, meaning drivers can continue to operate their vehicles like normal. After all, they haven’t really given us any better options, and as the recall continues to drag out due to lack of airbag replacement units it leaves owners with few other options.

In any circumstance, having recall work done in a timely manner is always important, as recalls are made in regards to driver and passenger safety. While it’s always recommended to drivers that recall work is done as soon as possible, that isn’t always an option, and for the long-going Takata airbag recall that happens to be the case, so the NHTSA has said it is okay to drive your car even with the recall.

It doesn’t appear like there is an end in sight for the Takata airbag recall affecting millions of drivers, but manufacturers are putting their best foot forward to try and get the best resolution to customers that they can.