DETROIT - Nissan Motor Co Ltd recalled nearly 196,000 older-model Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4 SUVs due to the chance that road salt and water could collect to cause a loss of steering, US safety regulators said.

Affected are 162,658 Pathfinders from model years 1996 to 2004 and 33,333 Infiniti QX4 SUVs from model years 1997 to 2003.

The recall affects Pathfinders and QX4s in 20 cold-weather US states where road salt is used to keep roads clear of snow and ice.

Road salt and melted snow can collect in the strut housing and may cause corrosion that could lead to difficulty in steering and even loss of steering, which could cause a crash, regulators said.

Nissan will inform customers of the recall be mid-May, and its dealers will inspect and fix the issue free of charge.

Efforts to reach Nissan were not immediately successful.