More than 2.8 million Hondas, including the 2003-2011 model year Element, are part of a recall involving Takata airbags.

Federal regulators are set to expand on an already unprecedented recall alert issued Monday to owners of nearly 5 million vehicles equipped with faulty Takata airbags.

With evidence showing those safety devices could unexpectedly fail, especially in high-humidity regions of the country, regulators want to make sure owners don’t ignore recall warnings already issued by manufacturers including BMW, General Motors, Honda and Toyota, among others. Only about 70% of motorists typically fix vehicles that have been recalled, and that rate falls off on older models, such as those covered by the NHTSA announcement. The number of companies affected is expected to increase as well.

NHTSA is engaged in an active investigation of the company’s airbags and Takata is cooperating, according to officials.

“For the past several months, we have been consistently cooperating with NHTSA, and we will continue to do so during the defect investigation that the agency recently opened, but we also stand by the quality of our products,” said Shigehisa Takada, chairman and CEO, in a statement. “Takata is committed to ensuring the safety and functionality of its air bag inflators, and we strive to avoid any malfunction.”

Because the information about the recall of the vehicles equipped with Takata airbags has been chronicled piecemeal during the last 18 months, federal safety regulators want to make sure owners understand the urgency behind the effort.

Today’s warning tells the owners to follow the terms of the recalls and take their vehicles to their dealer immediately. While the information is not new, it’s designed to provide clarity about the size and scope of the recalls that have occurred in the last 18 months.

Four deaths have been tied to the defective inflators, which can rupture without warning, spraying occupants with metal fragments. While 4.7 million vehicles have been recalled in the U.S., it is believed that about 12 million vehicles worldwide have been recalled because of the issue.

“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urges owners of certain Toyota, Honda, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, and General Motors vehicles to act immediately on recall notices to replace defective Takata airbags,” the agency said in a release.

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“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.”

While the issue has been tied to tropical climes, the issue is really tied to heat and humidity and can impact vehicles in other places such as Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana. However, the Center for Auto Safety suggests that any environment with high humidity poses a threat, including Washington D.C. and Portland, Oregon.

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The watchdog group has been critical of NHTSA’s approach to the recalls of the vehicles, which had limited the scope to the recall to Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“The agreement relies on absolute humidity for which records are scanty and no data are provided by either NHTSA or Takata,” said Clarence Ditlow, the group’s executive director, in a statement from late July. “When it comes to a defect so deadly as an airbag inflator that kills like a shrapnel bomb, the public deserves more than a private nod from NHTSA to Takata just like the agency gave GM on the ignition switch defect.”

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The manufacturers include:

Toyota: 778,177 total number of potentially affected vehicles

• 2002 – 2004 Lexus SC
• 2003 – 2004 Toyota Corolla
• 2003 – 2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix
• 2002 – 2004 Toyota Sequoia
• 2003 – 2004 Toyota Tundra
• 2003 – 2004 Pontiac Vibe

Honda: 2,803,214 total number of potentially affected vehicles

• 2001 – 2007 Honda Accord (4 cyl)
• 2001 – 2002 Honda Accord (6 cyl)
• 2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
• 2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
• 2003 – 2011 Honda Element
• 2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
• 2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot
• 2006 – Honda Ridgeline
• 2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
• 2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL

Nissan: 437,712 total number of potentially affected vehicles

• 2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
• 2001 – 2003 Nissan Pathfinder
• 2002 – 2003 Nissan Sentra
• 2001 – 2003 Infiniti I30/I35
• 2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
• 2003 – Infiniti FX

Mazda: 18,050 total number of potentially affected vehicles

• 2003 – 2004 Mazda6
• 2004 – Mazda RX-8

BMW: 573,935 total number of potentially affected vehicles

• 2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
• 2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
• 2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
• 2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
• 2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
• 2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible

General Motors: 133,221 total number potentially affected vehicles

• 2002 – 2003 Buick LeSabre
• 2002 – 2003 Buick Rendezvous
• 2002 – 2003 Cadillac DeVille
• 2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer
• 2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Impala
• 2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
• 2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Venture
• 2002 – 2003 GMC Envoy
• 2002 – 2003 GMC Envoy XL
• 2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Aurora
• 2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Bravada
• 2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette
• 2002 – 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
• 2002 – 2003 Pontiac Montana