Microsoft has announced that owners of older model Surface Pro tablets will be able to get replacement charger cables for free, due to overheating concerns.

According to Microsoft the AC charger cables bundled with early Surface Pro models have been overheating for some customers.

A report by Channelnomics Europe says that on 22 January Microsoft will announce a recall of charger cables for the Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro 3 models sold before July 2015.

At the moment Microsoft says: "As a result of damage caused by AC power cords being wound too tightly, twisted or pinched over an extended period of time, a very small proportion of Surface Pro customers have reported issues with their AC power cord. We will be releasing details of how customers can obtain a free replacement cable shortly."

The spokesperson went on to say the company would be offering free AC power cable replacements for Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro 3 models sold before March 2015.

The recall should not apply to the Surface Pro 4 which was recently released in autumn 2015.

Exactly how the recall will be carried out and where information will be made available to customers is not clear. Also unclear is if this is international or localised to one country or region.

READ: Five parental control apps for Android devices