( CNN ) -- Nissan North America has announced the recall of nearly 196,000 sport utility vehicles in the United States for corrosion problems that could damage steering and suspension systems . The recall extends to the Nissan Pathfinder from 1997 to 2003 , and the Infiniti QX4 from 1996 to 2004 . `` In areas of the country in which heavy concentrations of road salt are used , a mixture of snow/water and salt ... may result in corrosion of the strut tower housing in some subject vehicles , '' the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration website said . `` This may lead to grinding noises , increased steering effort , and possibly the steering column to break , resulting in the loss of steering control , which could result in a crash . '' Most of the vehicles were sold in Connecticut , Delaware , Iowa , Illinois , Indiana , Massachusetts , Maine , Maryland , Michigan , Minnesota , Missouri , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New York , Ohio , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , Vermont , Washington D.C. , West Virginia and Wisconsin . Nissan will inspect the SUVs and repair the vehicles free of charge as needed . CNN 's Greg Morrison contributed to the report .
Rust may damage steering and suspension systems . Most of the SUVs are registered in northern states . Nissan will inspect the SUVs and repair the vehicles free of charge as needed .