German car maker BMW will replace passenger airbags on 1.6 million cars of its 3 series sedans (pre-predecessor generation E46) worldwide.

The affected cars were produced between May 1999 and August 2006.

The air bags were made by Takata, a Japanese automotive part maker, and the fault could lead the airbags explode in some situations and injure the passengers.

BMW said that the recall is voluntary and an extension of its last year's campaign to minimize the risk involved.

It excludes 42,000 BMW cars that were replaced in 2013 due to the same problem, and the company is taking part because of the regional recall request placed by safety regulators in the US.

More than 12 million vehicles were reportedly recalled in the past five years over the same issue.

The company also mentioned that affected customers will be informed, and it will bear the cost required for the replacement.