The recall affects three Volvo models

The Swedish subsidiary of US auto giant Ford said the problem had not caused any accidents, but could affect the handling of the vehicles in question.

It is recalling all S60, S80 and V70 models built in Sweden during the past 12 months.

Of the 105,381 cars being recalled in total, 29,786 are in the US, 17,081 in Sweden, and 9,715 in the UK.

Volvo press officer Peter Ganjbar said the defect concerned "the ball-joint nuts in the front control arms".

He added: "This may cause the steering wheel to go out of alignment."