General Motors Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have both issued recalls.

GM, issuing its biggest recall of 2007, said as many as 275,936 Saturn, Pontiac and Cadillac models may need repairs to a rear-axle seal that can leak and cause the cars to lose control and crash.

The recall covers vehicles from the 2005 through 2007 model years, according a notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site. The autos involved are the Saturn Sky, Pontiac Solstice and Cadillac CTS, CTS-V, SRX, STS and STS-V.

A fluid leak in the rear-axle pinion seal may cause the rear differential to lock up, possibly sending a vehicle out of control, Detroit-based GM said in a letter this month to NHTSA. Two crashes were reported, GM spokeswoman Carolyn Markey said.

The recall is the result of a preliminary inquiry that NHTSA began in July after receiving 20 reports from motorists of rear differential failures. Almost all the complaints cited the back wheels of the vehicles locking up, the agency said.

GM discovered in May that the seal supplier made "an unauthorized change to the pinion seal material," according to the letter, which didn't identify the partsmaker. The fluid leak came to light after a rise in warranty claims from March to November, the automaker told NHTSA.

Owners of the affected Cadillacs, Pontiacs and Saturns will be notified by letter in February, spokesman Alan Adler said. "If they have any issues, they should contact dealers as soon as possible," he said.

Honda, meanwhile, is recalling 43,200 Acura RL sedans to fix a power-steering hose that may crack from engine heat and possibly cause a fire.

The recall by Tokyo-based Honda affects 2005-08 models, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which posted the information on its Web site.

The cracked hose can release a volatile fluid onto a hot catalytic converter, leading to a fire, Honda said. The automaker received two reports of fires in Japan, triggering an internal investigation that led to the recall, according to a letter posted on NHTSA's Web site.

Honda has begun notifying owners, and dealers will install a heat-resistant hose.

Recalls also are under way for 37,000 XC90 sport-utility vehicles from Ford Motor Co.'s Volvo and for 40,424 Suzuki Motor Corp. Grand Vitara SUVs, the safety agency said on its Web site.

The climate-control module on 2007-08 model year XC90s may shut down after the ignition key is inserted, disabling the defroster in cold weather and reducing visibility, NHTSA said.

A U.S. spokesman for Volvo, Dan Johnston in Rockleigh, N.J., confirmed the recall and otherwise declined to comment.

The Suzuki recall involves Grand Vitaras from the 2006-07 model year. The SUV's automatic transmission may slip out of park when the engine is shut off, the safety agency said. When the condition occurs and the parking brake isn't fully engaged, the vehicle may roll, causing a crash, according to NHTSA.