WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mazda Motor Corp. revealed to government officials earlier this week that the manufacturer is recalling more than 300,000 Mazda3 and Mazda5 vehicles in North America so dealers can fix problems with the power-steering system.

The units involved in this recall are from the model years 2007 through 2009. The OEM built these versions of the Mazda3 and Mazda5 from April 2007 through November 2008.

The company indicated the recall involves 215,000 vehicles in the United States and an additional 100,000 vehicles in Canada and Mexico.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials learned from Mazda these recalled vehicles could have a sudden loss of power-steering assist, making it difficult for the driver to steer the vehicle and increase the risk of a crash.

The company emphasized it has not received any reports of crashes or injuries tied to the problem.

Because of a short supply of parts, OEM officials stated they plan to begin a first phase of notifying vehicle owners by mail starting on Sept. 15. They indicated a second phase is set to start later that month and wrap up by February of next year.

In the meantime, owners of these Mazda models can contact the manufacturer's customer service center at (800) 222-5500.

According to various reports, Mazda previously issued a technical service bulletin to franchise dealers since the "occurrence rate was low" with troubles related to the power-steering system. Evidently, the service bulletin included repair procedures for customers who did report steering problems in this specific Mazda models.