Federal Government Orders Mandatory Recall of Defective Samsung Phones That Explode
Samsung has issued a product recall of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after receiving numerous reports of the electronic devices exploding.
The Samsung brand has taken a lot of heat in recent weeks as more and more consumers have come forward with complaints about their Galaxy Note 7 phones overheating and causing fires. According to federal safety officials, there have been more than 100 reports of batteries overheating in the defective phones, resulting in burn injuries and property damage.
The defect in the smartphones is that the lithium-ion batteries have a tendency to overheat and catch fire.
At first, Samsung attempted to minimize company liability in potential product liability claims by issuing a voluntary product recall. However, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) eventually stepped in and made the massive product recall mandatory. A CPSC statement warned consumers to “immediately stop using and power down the recalled Galaxy Note7 devices.” The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) even got involved, telling people to turn off their cell phone while flying on airplanes.
Any consumers who currently have one of the recalled phones should immediately contact their wireless carrier or Samsung.com to arrange a return for a full refund. Samsung initially offered consumers the opportunity to have their defective devices replaced; however, the federal government has now said that the replacement phones are also defective.
The need for the mandatory recall stemmed from the fact that many consumers who used the Note 7 smartphones did not stop using the devices after the voluntary recall was issued. According to tracking data, there was only a minor decline in usage in response to the initial recall by Samsung.
Now that the product recall has expanded, it could affect millions of people in the US and around the globe.
For additional information, read the following article: Government Issues Official Recall of Samsung Galaxy Note 7