Galaxy Note 7 owners advised to turn off phones immediately
A woman tests a Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone at a Samsung showroom in Seoul on September 2, 2016. Credit: AFP / Getty Images / JUNG YEON-JE
If you have a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, turn it off immediately.
After 35 reports of the device igniting or exploding, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning Friday afternoon and said it was working with Samsung to make the company’s Sept. 2 recall of the smartphone official.
The CPSC said the smartphones’ lithium-ion batteries have been catching fire “while charging and during normal use.”
After the phone’s release on Aug. 19, reports surfaced of the device catching fire. A man in St. Petersburg, Fla. left his Galaxy Note 7 charging in his Jeep when the phone caught fire, destroying the car. In South Carolina, a garage caught fire when the Samsung phone was left on a charger.
About 1 million units had been sold as of Sept. 2, and the remaining 1.5 million units Samsung had shipped to stores had previously been removed from shelves.
The updated Galaxy Note 7 is not yet available in all stores, and the CPSC is looking into whether the newer phone “is an acceptable remedy” for customers.
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.
Samsung is offering an exchange program for all Galaxy Note 7 users. The program varies between cellphone carriers, but all major carriers are allowing users to trade for a new Galaxy Note 7, a Galaxy S7 or a Galaxy S7 Edge. Any price differences between the phones will be reimbursed by the store, and the restocking and shipping fees will be waived. Some carriers are providing a $25 in-store or bill credit with the selection of one of the Galaxy phones. If you bought your phone directly from Samsung, contact the company at 800-SAMSUNG.
