SEOUL (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor Co, South Korea's top automaker, is recalling more than 200,000 units of its Santa Fe sport utility vehicle model and popular Sonata cars in the United States due to problems with their airbags, a U.S. state safety agency said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a report released on its website that Hyundai's U.S. dealers will recall 199,118 Santa Fe SUVs built between April 19, 2006 and July 7, 2008 and 22,512 units of Sonata sedans manufactured from January 24 to June 21 this year,

The front passenger airbags of the Santa Fe models appeared to have improper occupant classification system, putting small-bodied people at risk, the U.S. agency said.

"The occupant classification system (OCS) may need recalibration to accurately detect small statured adults," it added.

Sensors for the side airbags of the Sonatas are needed to be reprogrammed because they may inflate without receiving a signal, increasing injury risks, the agency said.

(Reporting by Sung-won Shim; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)