Nokia, the Finnish telecommunications firm has issued a warning that 46 million BL-5C batteries on popular phones it sold from December 2005 to November 2006 could be faulty and overheat.

After recording approximately 100 incidents, the Finnish firm said on Tuesday the problems could affect 46 million batteries manufactured by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006.

In a statement on the company's website, the mobile phone manufacturer said, "Nokia has identified that in very rare cases the affected batteries could potentially experience over heating initiated by a short circuit while charging, causing the battery to dislodge."

"Nokia has several suppliers for BL-5C batteries that have collectively produced more than 300 million BL-5C batteries. This advisory applies only to the 46 million batteries manufactured by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006. There have been approximately 100 incidents of over heating reported globally. No serious injuries or property damage have been reported."

Users who have such batteries should go to the Nokia website at www.nokia.com/batteryreplacement to see if they have an affected battery, and if so, to order a replacement if they desire.