Samsung ordered to recall one million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after they blew up cars, scorched users and threatened to down planes
The world's largest mobile phone company is expected to lose BILLIONS after a spate of battery fires
SAMSUNG has been ordered to recall a million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after a spate of battery fires that has seen the device burn users, blow up a car - and even been banned from planes.
The tech giant will replace or refund the the flagship phones sold in the US in a savage blow to the reputation of the Korean powerhouse.
The problem is so bad that the US Department of Transportation ordered airline passengers not to bring the device on planes unless they keep them turned off and don't charge them during the flight.
Samsung received 92 reports of batteries overheating in the United States, including 26 reports of burns and 55 cases of property damage.
Earlier this week supply teacher Sarah Crockett, 30, told how she feared for her life when her phone blew up in a busy cafe even though it was not being charged.
Mum-of-two Sarah, 30, was with husband Matt, 29, when her three-month-old mobile started to balloon in size before melting in clouds of white smoke in Witham, Essex.
She said: “It suddenly just expanded in my hand and got really, really hot.
“I dropped it on the table. Within a few seconds there was smoke everywhere and I jumped out of the way. The whole thing was just barbecued."
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Yesterday it was reported that a car was torched when a Note 7 blew up while on charge.
Cops in Port St. Lucie, Florida, said the car was engulfed after the mobile exploded in the passenger seat.
The explosions are occurring due to the phones’ lithium ion batteries. Samsung have admitted that during the manufacturing process, the layer of plastic separating the positive and negative sides of the battery was punctured.
This led to the batteries short circuiting – posing a massive fire risk, as the positive and negative poles coming into contact triggered “excessive heat”.
US consumer safety watchdog CPSC said owners should immediately stop using and power down the recalled Galaxy Note 7 devices.
The recall is a costly setback for Samsung, which was counting on Galaxy Note 7 to bolster sales as rivals such as Apple launch new devices.
The scale of the recall is unprecedented for Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker.
Samsung said on Thursday that new Note 7 replacement devices will be available at most retail locations in the United States no later than September 21.
Earlier this month, Samsung said it would recall all Note 7 smartphones equipped with batteries it found to be fire-prone and halted their sales in 10 markets, denting a revival of the firm's mobile business.
While recalls in the smartphone industry do happen, including for rival Apple, the problem for the Note 7 is a serious blow to Samsung's reputation, analysts have said.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has asked airline passengers to switch off and unplug the recalled Note 7s during flights.
Some 2.5 million of the premium devices worldwide need to be recalled, Samsung said. Some analysts say the recall could cost Samsung nearly £3.7billion in lost revenue this year.