General Motors has recalled hundreds of thousands of Chevy and GMC pickups because of a potential steering issue.

The vehicles may have a software problem that can cause them to spontaneously lose their electric power steering assistance for about one second, according to the The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"If [the power steering] assist is lost and suddenly returned, the driver could lose temporary control of the steering wheel, increasing the risk of a crash," NHTSA said in a public document.

The cars are particularly vulnerable to the issue when a driver performs low-speed turns, according to NHTSA.

More than 690,000 vehicles -- model year 2014 Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierra trucks -- are potentially affected by the issue.

GM is telling owners of the trucks involved in the recall to take their vehicles into a dealer, where they can receive free of charge a software update to fix the issue.

Drivers can check to see if their car is among the recalled vehicles on NHTSA's website.

Owners can also contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-432-8782.