BMW in Ireland is set to recall 1,566 cars because of a potential airbag fault, which has prompted a 220,000-vehicle global call-back.

The airbags were made by the same manufacturer / supplier that led to a similar but much larger (3.4 million) recall by Japanese car makers last month.

Affected BMWs in Ireland include the popular 3-series models from 2002 and 2003. They are the 3-series saloon, coupe, convertible and station wagon, as well as high-performance M3 and M3 convertible versions.

The airbags for front-seat passengers are made by Takata for BMW and the other marques who recalled millions of cars last month.

They may not inflate correctly due to a manufacturing defect in the propellant used to help inflate the airbag in a crash.

The inflator propellant could degrade over time and that could cause too much internal pressure in the airbag system when the bag deploys.

That might mean, in extreme cases, the risk of a fire starting or of a passenger being hurt by metal fragments propelled from the airbag area.

BMW insisted it is not aware of any injuries or accidents and has had no reports of any improper deployments of airbags in its cars.

Of the global total, 42,080 will be recalled in the US, 64,044 in Germany, 24,272 in the UK, 13,022 in Italy, 10,449 in France, 9,954 in Spain and 7,890 in Japan.

A BMW spokesman said they expect to have parts to repair the vehicles, where necessary, in July.