Today’s recall involves approximately one million Note 7 handsets sold, of which Samsung is said to have received 92 reports of batteries overheating, according to the CPSC.
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Several Samsung Galaxy Note 7’s lay on a counter in plastic bags after they were returned to a Best Buy on September 15, 2016 in Orem, Utah.
Since then, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has not only stepped in, but USA aviation safety officials have also taken the unusual step of warning airline passengers not to turn on or charge the phone during flights, or put them in checked bags.
The CPSC said on Friday that it was working with Samsung to announce an official recall of the devices as soon as possible.
USA safety regulators stepped in Thursday with an official recall, saying Samsung’s voluntary efforts were inadequate.
Hector Abruña, director of the Energy Materials Center at Cornell University and an expert on lithium ion batteries, says Samsung is to blame for trying to create what he calls a thinner “club sandwich” – a layer of electrodes stacked in the phone’s battery – to give its devices a sleek design.
Yesterday’s move by the United States safety agency formalises the recall underway in 10 countries after reports of faulty batteries that caused some handsets to explode during charging.
Samsung said Note 7 purchasers will be offered the choice of a refund or a replacement.
The dangers of using a recalled Note 7 were rare – its battery problem affected 0.1% of the 2.5 million phones sold worldwide since August – but the problem has caused a headache for the world’s largest smartphone maker.
One family in St. Petersburg, Florida, reported that a Galaxy Note 7 left charging in their Jeep had caught fire, destroying the vehicle. Thicker separators can improve safety but will not necessarily prevent all overheating issues, he said.
Note 7 owners just need to contact Samsung and provide a number from the back of the phone to find out if it is part of the recall.
Contact the wireless carrier, retail outlet or Samsung.com where you purchased your device to receive free of charge a new Galaxy Note7 with a different battery, a refund or a new replacement device.
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“We want the recall to be simple and straightforward”, Kaye said.
