A terrifying car fire was caused by a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 blowing up while on charge, police have said.

Flames engulfed the car on a highway in Port St. Lucie, Florida, after the cellphone exploded in the passenger seat on Tuesday night.

It happened less than a week after Samsung urged customers around the world to stop using the device - warning they are prone to catch fire.

An unprecedented 2.5million phones were recalled, just two weeks after their release.

Nurse Sharon Cain captured the blaze from her car after hearing a 'loud pop'.

She uploaded the video on Facebook and wrote: 'A car caught fire from a charg(ing) Note Galaxy 7 on Crosstown (in) Port St. Lucie. I was told (that) the gentleman was charging his phone when he heard a loud pop (and then) the phone blew up. I am a nurse so I stopped to make sure there was no help needed from me.'

Police told WPBF the car's owner, Clifford Samuels, 55, believed the cellphone was the cause of the fire.

Earlier this month, U.S. authorities said the Galaxy Note 7s were banned from being used during flights.

Some airlines also stated they could not be added to checked luggage, fearing they could set alight in the hold.

A terrifying car fire in Port St. Lucie was caused by a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 blowing up while on charge, police have said

As a result, Samsung asked users around the world to 'immediately' return their existing Galaxy Note 7 and get a replacement.

Koh Dong-jin, Samsung's mobile president, posted a statement on their website saying: 'We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note 7s and exchange them as soon as possible,' said .

'We are expediting replacement devices so that they can be provided through the exchange program as conveniently as possible.'

Consumers can visit Samsung's service centers to receive rental phones for temporary use.

Samsung plans to provide Galaxy Note 7 devices with new batteries in South Korea starting September 19, but schedules for other countries vary.