Former CPSC officials claim second recall is very likely

Oct 10, 2016 05:00 GMT  ·  By

UPDATE 3, October 11: Samsung has killed off the Note 7 for good, as the company is giving up on production, sales, and the recall program. Users can bring back devices and get a full refund.

UPDATE 2, October 11: It looks like Samsung has silently started the second Note 7 recall and customers can bring in their devices and opt either for another Samsung phone and a partial refund or a full refund for the Note 7. An official announcement from Samsung, however, is not available.

UPDATE, October 11: It's official! Samsung has stopped sales of the Note 7 and says that ALL BUYERS must turn off their devices, as the risk of explosion still exists. The company is now conducting an investigation and more info should be available soon.

UPDATE, October 10: Samsung has stopped production of the Note 7 temporarily, in an attempt to buy some time and determine whether safe units have a problem or not.

UPDATE 3, October 9: It's getting worse! Two other Samsung Galaxy Note 7 units caught fire, this time in Korea and in public places. One burst into flames in a Burger King fast-food restaurant, while the other one started emitting smoke in a park.

UPDATE 2, October 9:Another replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 caught fire, this time in Minnesota. The phone was being used by a 13-year-old girl who suffered only minor burns to her thumbs thanks to a protective cover on the phone. Again, this was a safe model and wasn't charging when it caught fire.

UPDATE, October 9: A safe Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has exploded during the night in Kentucky, causing the owner to suffer acute bronchitis and vomit black due to smoke inhalation. The model he was used was marked as safe and purchased only one week before the incident.

UPDATE 3, October 8: A new report, this time coming from Taiwan, reveal that a Note 7 exploded in the back pocket of a woman who was walking her dog in the park. The phone obviously wasn't charging and it appears that it was even a replacement unit, with photos provided by the woman showing the black square on the box. Samsung says it's investigating, but Taiwan is already asking the company to stop selling the Note 7 in the country.

UPDATE 2, October 8: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint have started allowing Note 7 owners to replace their phablets with another smartphone they have in their stores. This means that a Note 7 buyer can give up on his device in exchange for absolutely any phone, which could be an indication that carriers are also aware of possible problems with "safe" units too. It's not clear if this decision has been made after talks with Samsung or not.

UPDATE, October 8: It appears that AT&T is currently considering suspending sales of the Note 7 amid more explosions reported on safe units. The company is believed to be internally discussing this matter, with a decision to be announced soon.

UPDATE, October 7: Another report adds more fuel to rumors of a possible second recall for the Note 7, as Sprint is reportedly offering others phones in exchange for defective units that customers bring in for replacements.

Original story dated October 7 below.

Samsung might launch a second recall of the Galaxy Note 7 after one of the safe replacement units caught fire on a passenger jet on Wednesday, former officials working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) explained.

The South Korean firm has nearly finalized the original recall of 2.5 million units, but preliminary data shows that a certain percentage of the replacement units are also suffering from overheating, which in some cases leads to devices catching fire even when not charging.

The most recent case took place on Wednesday when what was believed to be a replacement Note 7 - this hasn’t been confirmed just yet, but Samsung and the CPSC are currently investigating this possibility - caught fire on a Southwest Airlines flight, just when the plane was getting ready to take off.

The smoke emitted by the phone triggered the evacuation of the plane, and the flight was canceled, with no injuries reported whatsoever.

And now former CPSC officials explain that, if this was indeed a replacement Note 7 unit, Samsung might have no other option than to issue a second recall to get phones that are prone to catching fire off the market.

“If it’s the fixed phone and it started to smoke in his pocket, I’m going to guess there’ll be another recall,” Pamela Gilbert, former executive director of CPSC, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. “That just doesn’t sound right.” The former CPSC agent then went on to add that the agency could have a decision as early as next week as this is “not something you want to leave hanging.”

Nancy Nord, who served as chairwoman of the CPSC, also explained that a second recall is indeed possible, although this rarely takes place. “Certainly [Samsung] could [issue] another recall, if it appears this is something beyond an aberration,” she noted, adding that the investigation must first determine if this was indeed a replacement Note 7 and the cause of the fire.

Why a second recall would be a godsend

It’s no surprise that customers trust is significantly affected after the Note 7 saga and seeing more units catching fire can only do more harm to the South Korean firm, who can’t seem to be able to figure out a way to bring safe phones to the market.

A second recall would most likely have a bigger impact on its revenue, as more customers are hoping to see such a replacement program going live once again in order not to get a “safe” Note 7, but to ask for a refund, which would lead to substantial losses for the South Korean manufacturer.

A UK-based firm (whose name we cannot unveil for obvious reasons) that upgraded all employees to the Note 7 certainly hopes a secondary recall to launch, as all workers have refused to use Samsung devices after the passenger jet incident.

Furthermore, comments online seem to be pointing to a shifting trend towards Apple, with customers even willing to wait in line for an iPhone than to continue using a Note 7.

For the moment, Samsung is not providing any statements besides the typical “we’re investigating comment, but the effects of the Note 7 saga will most likely be shown on Friday when the firm is expected post its quarterly earnings.