WASHINGTON, D.C. --- Nissan is recalling 204,361 cars and SUVs made in 2007 and 2008 because of a defective airbag control unit that could prevent the passenger side airbag from deploying in an accident, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

Nissan will test and replace the unit if needed.

The recall affects approximately 119,178 Nissan Altimas, 23,587 Altima Coupes, 7369 350Zs, 671 Muranos, 18,473 Rogues, 25,802 Infiniti G35 Sedans, 9131 G37 Coupes and 150 EX35s.

Nissan believes that a control module in the passenger's seat was manufactured out of specifications and may lose communication with the passenger's air bag. This can result in the air bag failing to deploy in an accident. Affected vehicles should have the air bag warning lights on the dash light up if there is a problem.

The automaker will test every recalled vehicle to see if the module is defective and replace any that are. Nissan estimates that less than 1 percent of the 204,361 recalled vehicles are actually affected by this problem.

The recall will begin on or before Nov. 3. Owners are encouraged to have their vehicles inspected. The NHTSA Recall number is 08V521000.