DETROIT (REUTERS) - General Motors (GM) Co said on Friday it was recalling about 370,0000 of its redesigned full-size Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks globally to reprogramme software that could cause parts of the exhaust to overheat and lead to fire.

GM said eight fires had been caused by the problem, but there were no injuries. The company said all of the fires had occurred in very cold places, and it urged customers to avoid leaving trucks idling unattended.

The No. 1 United States (US) automaker said the recall included 2014 model trucks with 4.3 litre and 5.3 litre engines in the US, Canada, Mexico and other markets. Trucks with 6.2 litre engines were not being recalled.

GM said signs of the problem were a continuous yellow "check engine light" and an "engine power reduced" message in the driver information centre.

It said recall letters would be mailed next Thursday, but customers could contact dealers for appointments beginning early next week. It said the repair would take about 20 minutes.

Of the trucks recalled, about 303,813 are in the US, about 57,769 in Canada, about 665 in Mexico and about 7,753 in export markets, said company spokesman Alan Adler.