BEIJING - Renault (Beijing), the China unit of French automaker Renault S.A., will recall 1,411 Koleos sport utility vehicles (SUV) in Chinese mainland starting Dec 26, the country's quality watchdog said Thursday.

These vehicles were manufactured between Oct 14, 2010 and Jan 18, 2011, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said on its website.

In a report submitted to the AQSIQ, Renault said a faulty electronic control unit in the steering system of the affected vehicles may disconnect after long-term use and make steering difficult in extreme situations.

The automaker said it will notify customers of the recall through mail or phone and replace defective electronic controls with improved ones free of charge.