Volvo recalls 125,000 trucks in North America

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Swedish lorry-maker Volvo said Thursday it had recalled 125,000 trucks in North America due to the danger of short circuits in the lighting system that could cause fires.

"All the trucks produced in North America since 2003 to this day" are being recalled, Volvo spokesman Tommy Kohle told AFP, adding that the call-back was due to an electrical module that controls the trucks' lighting system.

"We have discovered that it becomes too warm and that there can be a short-circuit that potentially could create smoke or in the worst case a fire," Kohle said, adding it remained unclear how the problem would be fixed.

"I do not know yet if the system will need to be replaced or if there will be some kind of alteration, but it is a fairly quick job to do and it has to be done," he said.

Volvo, the world's number two heavy duty truck manufacturer, has seen its sales in North America plummet since the beginning of the year, amid strong growth in other markets, especially Asia.

The Swedish company, which sells products under the brands of Volvo, Renault and Mack, said its decline on the American market had been caused by the introduction of new environmental standards on January 1, 2007.