Samsung last week announced plans to recall 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 phones worldwide after its investigation of the device fires found rechargeable lithium batteries manufactured by one of its suppliers at fault.
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Before this, CPSC expressed concerns about how Samsung was handling the recall of the Galaxy Note 7, saying it should have been routed through the agency due to its scale. The agency said it was working on an official recall of the devices and that users should turn them off in the meantime.
The mammoth recall of close to 2.5 million devices and their subsequent replacement with brand new models according to analysts could cost Samsung almost $5bn.
Instead of living under the fear that your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 might explode anytime, here’s a way to identify if the handset is equipped with a faulty battery, which according to the company is a result of a “very rare manufacturing process error”.
The announcement is part of a global recall affecting up to ten countries. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission Friday urged Note 7 owners to stop using it.
Thailand’s national carrier has asked for cooperation from passengers who use this particular phone model – asking that they don’t open or charge the device while boarding, THAI’s Aviation Safety, Security and Standards Department director Prathana Pattanasiri said yesterday. The FAA already warned airline passengers late Thursday not to turn on or charge the Galaxy Note 7 during flights and not to put the smartphone in their checked bags. A Reuters’ dispatch on Saturday said top airlines globally had banned their use during flights, which included carriers from the GCC region.
Singapore Airlines, Australia’s Qantas, and Virgin Australia have announced similar bans.
There are at least two more cases that Samsung said it is aware of – one at a hotel in Perth, Australia, and another in St. Petersburg, Florida, where a family reported that a Galaxy Note 7 left charging in their Jeep had caught fire, destroying the vehicle. This means retailers are now obliged by law to take any existing Galaxy Note 7’s off of store shelves to be exchanged.
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Samsung has received 34 reports of exploding batteries in the Galaxy Note 7.
