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General Motors Co. will recall 370,000 full-size pickups for fire risks after eight reported fires. The automaker is urging owners not to leave their trucks unattended while idling.

GM said Friday it will recall 2014 Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras to reprogram software that could lead to overheating of exhaust components, potentially causing engine compartment fires. The 2014 Silverado is one of three finalists for North American Truck of the Year, which will be awarded Monday at the North American International Auto Show.

When the truck idles, it should use two cylinders. But because of a software glitch, the recalled trucks idle with most of the cylinders. That causes the vehicles to overheat and leads to the fires. All of the vehicles that have reported fires are trucks with V-8 engines.

The potential hazard often is signaled by a continuous yellow “check engine light” and an “engine power reduced” message in the driver information center.

General Motors announced on Saturday morning that it was recalling 490,000 trucks and 172,000 compact cars, meaning the automaker has now recalled about 4.8 million vehicles in the United States during the first three months of the year. That is about six times the number of vehicles it recalled in all of 2013.

This year’s recalls involve many of G.M.’s most popular and best-known models.

The recall announced on Saturday morning covers the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups, as well as the 2015 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL with six-speed automatic transmissions. G.M. said a loose fitting for the transmission’s oil cooler line could allow oil leaks and possibly lead to fires. The automaker said it was aware of three fires but no injuries linked to the defect, and officials decided to recall the vehicles within a week of learning of the problem, said Alan Adler, a G.M. spokesman.