A federal lawsuit has been filed against Honda Motor Co. and Japanese autoparts supplier Takata Corp. over defective airbags which can explode, spraying shards of metal inside the vehicle, CNN reports.

The defective airbag class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of the owners of  millions of Hondas affected by a recall. Takata airbags have been recalled for some 17 million cars worldwide in recent years, according to CNBC, which notes that the company is also the focus of a U.S. regulatory probe.

The airbag class action lawsuit contends that Honda has been aware of the exploding airbag problem since at least 2001 but delayed recalling the cars.

The plaintiffs allege that they suffered inconvenience and financial losses, including a decline in the resale value of their cars. They also allege that they have been harmed by having limited use of their cars, having been told there is a months-long wait for Honda to replace the airbags.

The faulty Takata airbags — installed in 7.8 million vehicles made by 10 different automakers in model years 2002 through 2008, according to Consumer Reports — have resulted in numerous injuries and fatalities.

“Four fatalities and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the Takata air bags, and in some cases the incidents were horrific, with metal shards penetrating a driver’s face and neck,” according to Consumer Reports.

Though Takata is based in Japan, the faulty airbags are made in North American facilities, USA Today reports.

“The propellant inside the infiltrators apparently was mishandled, making it volatile,” according to the newspaper.

Honda and other auto manufacturers have issued regional recalls, explaining that the problem is worse in humid climates.

The airbags contain ammonium nitrate that when ignited in a crash can cause the airbag to inflate instantly. When ammonium nitrate comes in contact with moisture, it can result in an explosion that sprays plastic and metal debris.

“Critics say that’s too confusing, and could overlook cars sold elsewhere but now owned in high-humidity area such as Florida or those sold in humid locales that have moved to drier areas,” it adds.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ordered Honda to produce all documents and communications it has had with the air bag supplier as well as recalls of vehicles equipped with the faulty inflators and all internal communications about the Takata airbag recalls.

Honda alone has recalled 7.6 million cars in the United States, and 9.5 million worldwide, since 2008 because of the faulty airbags, according to CNN. Honda is Takata’s biggest customer.