CHICAGO, Illinois (AFP) - General Motors (GM) and Hyundai both recalled large numbers of vehicles in the United States (US) on Friday.

The GM recall was issued to fix a defect in the Chevrolet Cruze that can cause some vehicles to lose the brake assist function.

If the brake assist function fails, drivers would need to exert extra pressure on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle.

The largest US automaker said it was aware of 27 low-speed crashes linked to the defect, none of which resulted in serious injury.

The recall affects 293,000 vehicles in the US, 44,000 in Canada and 641 in Israel from the 2011 and 2012 model years.

Hyundai recalled 239,000 vehicles in the US to check a portion of the vehicle underbody called the crossmember.

The South Korean automaker said that road salt has been found to corrode the rear crossmember, which could cause one of the rear control arms to fall off.

If the control arm becomes detached the rear wheel alignment could suddenly change "affecting the handling of the vehicle" and "increasing the risk of a crash", Hyundai said.

The recall affects certain Sonata and Azera vehicles from model years 2006 through 2010.