Jeep

Canada recalls Galaxy Note7 over battery overheating problems

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A St. Petersburg, Florida man left his Note7 charging in his Jeep and then soon found the car engulfed in flames. Image: Fox 7 Tampa Bay/Macworld

13 September 2016

Canada has recalled over 21,900 Galaxy Note7 phablets after receiving a report of the overheating of the battery of one phone.

The Samsung Note7’s battery has the potential to overheat and burn, posing a potential fire hazard, Health Canada, a Canadian federal government department said Monday.

The problem with the lithium-ion batteries may, however, turn out to be more serious in the US where already reports of over 70 cases have been received by Samsung, according to the Canadian agency.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is charged with protecting the public from the risk of injury or death linked with certain consumer products, said Friday it was working on an official recall with Samsung but there has been no formal announcement yet of the move.

An official recall will make it illegal to sell the phone, lead to government oversight of the replacement program and provide clear guidance to consumers, said Consumer Reports, a consumer advocacy group.

CPSC has advised all users of the Note7 to power down the phones and stop charging or using the device. Samsung, which reported a battery cell issue on 2 September, has also advised people to power down their Note7 phones and exchange them.

There have been accidents that reports said could be traced to exploding Note7 devices. The New York Post reported Sunday that a 6-year-old boy in Brooklyn suffered burns after a Galaxy Note7 smartphone blew up in his hands, while he was watching videos.

Samsung, while announcing the problem with the Note7, said there had been 35 reports worldwide as of 1 September.

Samsung in Ireland will begin issuing replacement smartphones from 19 September. For more on the programme visit http://www.samsung.com/ie/note7exchange/.

IDG News Service

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