The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging consumers who have Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones to “power them down and stop charging or using” them.
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Samsung issued a voluntary recall after the company confirmed a battery defect could result in a Note 7 catching fire or exploding.
In one case, a family Florida of the United States reported a Galaxy 7 phone left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle, according to agency reports.
“We are aware of the Federal Aviation Administration’s statement about the Galaxy Note7”, the company’s USA division said in a statement.
“It’s very scary because most of us sleep next to our phone, have them in our cars and in our homes”, said Michelle Spain, Samsung cellphone owner.
The matter has come to the attention of the Federal Aviation Administration, which has broad responsibility for safety in commercial aviation. Samsung has identified the affected inventory and stopped sales and shipments of those devices. The company says new Note 7 phones will not be available until after the CPSC finishes its “process”, but owners can exchange the Note 7s now for a different model. Australia is among countries with airlines that have banned travelers from bringing Galaxy Note 7 handsets on planes.
Galaxy Note 7 recall with Samsung.
The CPSC issued its statement a day after the Federal Aviation Administration warned passengers to shut down their phones and keep them off the charger while on board an airplane.
More importantly, it also said that it is working with Samsung to “formally announce an official recall of the Galaxy Note 7”. Australian airlines Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia have banned passengers from using or charging the Galaxy Note 7 during flights over fire concerns.
Safety experts have been concerned for several years about the fire risk when lithium-ion batteries are used or even carried on flights.
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“This is to ensure that the phone does not switch on accidentally as there is a danger that the Lithium battery powering the phone could send sparks that could lead to a fire”, the source said. Those same lithium-ion batteries are in the Galaxy Note 7.
