The US Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday announced a recall of around one million Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones plagued by incidents of batteries bursting into flames. The new Note 7 will be in most stores no later than september 21, Samsung said Thursday.
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Prior to the CPSC recall, the federal agency had warned users to “power them down and stop charging or using the device”. According to the commission, the recall impacts about 1 million phones in the United States, and that in the short time it has been available, the Note 7 has been the cause of 92 separate incidents with 26 reports of burns and 55 reports of property damage.
According to Samsung, the problem affects 2.5 million devices globally, including 1 million in the US.
The recall comes at a crucial time for Samsung, as its rival Apple just announced its own latest versions of the iPhone.
A number of airlines around the globe have also banned the phone from being used or charged on their planes. For more information, check the CPSC website. Enter the IMEI number into the online registration site at www.samsung.com or call Samsung toll-free at 844-365-6197. If you purchased the device through Samsung, you can contact the company directly.
Samsung called on retailers to stop selling the phone on September 2, but on that day Consumer Reports found it available at several retailers. “As we’ve seen from videos. the phones really do present a serious fire hazard”.
Thus far, Samsung appears to have weathered the negative effects of what will surely be a costly recall of the Note 7.
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The CPSC previously issued a brief statement saying it was working on an official recall – but that the delay shouldn’t stop users from powering down the affected phones immediately. For those interested in getting a different device, the company says customers will receive a full refund on the Note 7 and any accessories, and the money can put toward any device in T-Mobile’s inventory. The CPSC has already warned consumers that they shouldn’t use, or charge their Note 7 smartphones.
