STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Volvo Cars said Wednesday it would recall 26,000 cars worldwide due to faulty software that causes engine problems.

"It's the electronic module which under certain circumstances does not work as it should. The engine doesn't start or just stops after 100 metres (yards)," Volvo spokeswoman Maria Bohlin told AFP.

"All customers will receive a letter informing them to go to a dealer and have the software updated," she added.

The cars concerned are the 2008-2010 models of the S80, V70, XC60, XC70 and S80L (sold only in China), which are equipped with a T6, or six cylinder, turbo-charged engine.

Of the 26,000 cars to be recalled, 12,000 are in the United States where the engine is "very common," Bohlin said, while there were "very few" in Europe.