The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced a massive recall totaling more than 4.7 million vehicles of various companies due to defective air bags that have been linked to multiple deaths in recent months. 

The LA Times reports that the federal agency issued an alert on Monday urging owners of the affected vehicles to have their vehicles inspected immediately. 

The cars in questions have defective air bags, which were made by Takata Corp., that could lead to improper air bag deployment. The said air bags have been installed in some vehicles of Toyota, Honda, Mazda, BMW, Nissan and General Motors models. The NHTSA specified that the inspection is particularly urgent for certain areas.

"The message comes with urgency, especially for owners of vehicles affected by the regional recalls in the following areas: Florida, Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Virgin Islands and Hawaii," said the agency in a statement. 

According to the information provided, Honda has the most total number of potentially affected vehicles with 2,803,214, Toyota is pegged at 778,177, Nissan with 437,712, Mazda has its own 18,050, while BMW's estimates are at 573,935 and lastly, General Motors is believed to have 133,221 total number potentially affected vehicles.

Per spokesman John Hanson, via 7News Denver, "Toyota has been testing the air bags, and it found an unusually high incidence of inflator failures along the coasts." 

WSLS10 reports that "Experts say parts dealing with inflation can rupture, causing metal fragments to fly out when the bags are deployed in crashes.  At least four people have died from the problem and there have been multiple injuries."

Additionally, safety advocates have reported that at least four people have died from the air bag problem and estimate that in the United States alone, some 20 to 25 million cars are believed to be equipped with faulty air bags.

If you are concerned over your vehicle's air bag equipment, the federal safety agency is directing car owners to check this page where you will input your vehicle's identification number (VIN) to know if your vehicle is affected by the recall.

"Based on NHTSA's open investigation, the agency will take appropriate action, including expanding the scope of the recall if warranted," quoted 7News Denver of the agency statement.

More over: "Takata has said it recognizes the critical role that government plays in public safety, and it is supporting safety regulators."

It is believed that some 12 million vehicles globally have been recalled due to the issue.