Image: WMBF News screens

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission just released an official statement about the exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7.




The CPSC is urging all Galaxy Note 7 owners to stop using their devices. More importantly, the commission also said that it is working with Samsung to “formally announce an official recall of the Galaxy Note 7.”


The CSPC says that it is trying “to determine whether a replacement Galaxy Note7 is an acceptable remedy for Samsung or their phone carriers to provide to consumers.”



Right now, the Galaxy Note 7 recall is voluntary and customers have to contact Samsung or their carrier to arrange for a replacement. It’s not even technically a recall—it’s a “product exchange program.”

The statement from the CSPC comes less than two weeks after reports of exploding Galaxy Note 7 devices started to surface around the globe. Samsung initially delayed shipments of Galaxy Note 7 devices, before starting a voluntary recall process last week and suspending sales of the device.




Since then, a number of scary incidents involving batteries on Galaxy Note 7 phones have popped up. We’ve seen explosions take place in hotel rooms, cars and in garages. The FAA is even considering banning customers from bringing a Galaxy Note 7 onboard flights.

Samsung was criticized by Consumer Reports for not issuing a full recall with the CSPC to begin with. It seems the CSPC agrees.


A formal recall from the CPSC will not only more clearly lay out exactly what the danger of the product is (and how that danger can be remedied), it allows the feds to approve what the company (in this case, Samsung) is doing.

Doing a formal recall can also give Samsung additional credibility with its solution, as well as legal insulation against customers who don’t take notices seriously.


The full statement:

Lithium-ion batteries pack a lot of power into a small package. When these batteries overheat and burst, the results can be serious. This is why the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging all consumers who own a Samsung Galaxy Note7 to power them down and stop charging or using the device. This consumer warning is based on recent reports involving lithium-ion batteries in certain Note7 devices that have resulted in fires. These incidents have occurred while charging and during normal use, which has led us to call for consumers to power down their Note7s. CPSC and Samsung are working cooperatively to formally announce an official recall of the devices, as soon as possible. CPSC is working quickly to determine whether a replacement Galaxy Note7 is an acceptable remedy for Samsung or their phone carriers to provide to consumers. We advise all consumers to report product safety incidents involving lithium-ion batteries in smartphones to us via www.SaferProducts.gov.


[Update]: Samsung has issued its own statement confirming that it is working with CSPC.

Tim Baxter, president of Samsung Electronics America said:

Samsung continues to ensure that consumer safety remains our top priority. We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note7s and exchange them now. New Note7 replacement devices will be issued to exchange program participants upon completion of the CPSC process. In the interim, consumers can return their Note7 for another device.


Samsung also clarified how its Note 7 Exchange Program works. Customers have the following options:

Exchange current Galaxy Note7 device with a new Galaxy Note7 (pending CPSC approval).

Exchange current Galaxy Note7 for a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge and replacement of any Note7 specific accessories with a refund of the price difference between devices.




Samsung also says that “select carrier and retail outlets” will provide customers with a Samsung loaner phone until new Note 7s are available.

[US CSPC]

