Samsung announces recall
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of 1 million Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones Thursday , calling the devices “serious fire and burn hazards.”
Among those incidents were 26 reports of burns and 55 reports of property damage caused by fires in cars and a garage, the CPSC said.
“Consumers should immediately stop using and power down the recalled Galaxy Note7 devices purchased before September 15 , 2016,” the CPSC advised.
Note 7 owners can see whether their device is part of the recall by entering their phone’s serial number on Samsung’s website .
When issues with the battery came to light, Samsung began a voluntary recall earlier this month, urging customers to exchange their devices.
The four major carriers in the U.S. — Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint — have all said customers can visit one of their retail locations to return or exchange the Note 7 and any accessories they may have bought to go with it.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning last week “strongly” advising passengers not to turn on or charge their Note 7s while on board an aircraft and to also not stow them in checked baggage.
Related: Everything We Know About Samsung’s Too-Hot-to-Handle Phone
The Galaxy Note 7 launched Aug. 19 in markets including the United States, with the company touting its iris security scanner as one of its standout features.
Retailing in the United States at about $850 per phone, the recall is a huge setback for the world’s largest smartphone maker. The recall comes one day before the release of Apple’s iPhone 7.
