Cars and trucks from the 2008 model year or older that wereoriginally sold or registered in high humidity areas along the U.S.Gulf Coast are getting top priority for repairs as the governmentcommences the massive Takata air bag inflator recall, theAssociated Press reported Thursday

Honda Motor Co. leads all automakers with nine models designatedas having the highest risk from air bag inflators that can explodewith too much force, spewing metal shrapnel into drivers andpassengers. Fiat Chrysler was second with seven.

Speeding up repairs

In early November, the U.S. Department of Transportation’sNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration took over the recallprocess, which covers 19.2 million vehicles and is the largest inU.S. history. The agency wants to speed up the pace of repairs andmake sure that the limited supply of replacement parts gets tovehicles with the highest risk, the Associated Press said.

Cars and trucks from Honda and its Acura luxury brand date onthe high-risk list date to the 2001 model year. Vehicles from 11other car and truck makers also are on the list.

Toyota had five vehicles in the top group, and Ford, Mazda,Nissan and Subaru tied with three each. Daimler vans, Mitsubishiand General Motors each had two models, while BMW and DaimlerTrucks had one each.

8 deaths and over 100 injured

The inflators can blow apart a metal canister and hurl shrapnelinto drivers and passengers. Eight people worldwide have beenkilled more than 100 injured by the inflators.

The federal government defines the high-humidity region asAlabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas,Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Saipan and the U.S. VirginIslands.

Review the complete list of recalledvehicles [PDF].