Hyundai is calling back 204,768 Elantras due to a power steering defect that could cause the vehicles to revert to their manual steering.

The recall affects four-door Elantras manufactured from June 1, 2008 to April 30, 2010 and 2009-'10 model Elantra Touring hatchbacks, the automaker said in a report on the National Highway Traffic Administration website.

"Steering control can be maintained; however, the vehicle will revert to a manual steering mode, requiring greater driver effort, particularly at low speeds. This could result in an increased risk of a crash," Hyundai wrote in its report to NHTSA.

A sensor in the affected vehicles could detect a "discrepancy" in steering input and signals and disable power-assisted steering as a result of the issue.

Vehicles with the issue could revert to manual steering and require more effort to steer at low speeds, thus increasing the chance of a crash, according to Hyundai's report.

The automaker said the defect could affect only 3 percent of the vehicles being called back.

Hyundai said it understood that the loss of power steering assist has not been considered an official safety defect in the U.S. when manual steering was still maintained, according to the report.

"More recently, however, the industry has increasingly handled similar issues through safety recalls due to the greater driver effort at low vehicle speeds," Hyundai said. "To remain consistent with that industry trend, Hyundai has decided to conduct this campaign as a safety recall."

Hyundai has not announced yet if any incidents involving the defect have taken place so far.

The automaker will notify all owners about the issue and tell dealers to fix the control unit of the electronic power steering free of charge.

The recall includes nearly 205,000 cars in the U.S. and about another 58,000 in Canada.

Owners with additional questions or concerns should feel free to contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-671-3059.

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