Amidst reports of multiple replacement Galaxy Note 7 units exploding in Taiwan, Korea, and in the United States, Samsung has reportedly halted production of the Galaxy Note 7 in its factories. This includes the company’s Vietnam factory that is responsible for the global shipments of the device.
Samsung had initially recalled all the 2.5million Note 7 units sold in early September due to a battery fault that put them at a potential risk of exploding. Within a month, the company diagnosed the issue to faulty batteries being supplied to it by one of its suppliers. The company then proceeded to replace the majority of the Note 7 units sold across the world since then and has urged all Note 7 owners to get their unsafe Note 7 units replaced from their nearest carrier or retail stores.
However, it looks like in a hurry to bring the Note 7 back in the market around the same time as the iPhone 7 launch, Samsung seems to have failed to determine the correct reason behind the Note 7 exploding. Over the last few days, there have been more than 7 different reports from across the world from Note 7 owners about their device exploding. These customers had the new replacement Note 7 units that were deemed safe by Samsung.
The first case of a replacement Note 7 unit catching fire was reported on Wednesday last week when the phone caught fire on a Southwest plane that led to it being evacuated. The second case occurred in Minnesota with a 13-year-old teenager. The third reported case was actually the first one to happen before any media outlet broke the news about replacement Note 7 units catching fire. Samsung was also made aware of the issue but the company failed to take any action. The incident occurred with Michael Klering of Kentucky and the smoke inhalation from the explosion sent the man to the hospital. Two more cases of the replacement Note 7 units exploding were reported in South Korea, with one being reported in Taiwan.
Samsung has already issued a statement on this matter and says that it is working diligently on finding the cause behind the explosions.
“We are working diligently with authorities and third party experts and will share findings when we have completed the investigation,” said a Samsung spokesperson in a statement to The Verge. “Even though there are a limited number of reports, we want to reassure customers that we are taking every report seriously. If we determine a product safety issue exists, Samsung will take immediate steps approved by the CPSC to resolve the situation.”
Due to safety concerns, major U.S. carriers like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have already stopped selling the Galaxy Note 7. The carriers have also stopped their Note 7 replacement program, and they are providing all Note 7 owners — whether they own an unsafe or a replacement unit — with the option to get their device exchanged for a different Samsung or non-Samsung device.
