Microsoft is to provide customers with a free retrofit to its Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel.

The action follows a very small number of incidents of a malfunction in the device, in which a component in the wheel chassis may overheat and release smoke when the AC/DC power supply is used to charge the wheel.

Microsoft has stressed that the action is precautionary and voluntary, and that there have been no reported incidences of fire, personal injury or property damage resulting from the failure.

A spokesman for the Xbox team told vnunet.com that the problem lies within the power supply and not the wheel itself. Customers who contact Microsoft will be sent a replacement power supply to rectify the problem.

Owners of the peripheral should stop using the AC/DC power supply until they have obtained their retrofit. They may continue to operate the wheel using battery power.

However, while operating in battery mode the force feedback feature will not be available. But once retrofitted, owners may run the wheel using AC power and reactivate this feature.

Microsoft has created a Wireless Racing Wheel recall web page which contains information about the problem and a link to a form that users can fill out and send in to Microsoft, at which point they will receive further details about the retrofit.

The company is working with the relevant regulatory agencies such as the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to make sure that the malfunction is properly dealt with, and has warned that this may affect delivery dates to suppliers.