Samsung Stops Making Galaxy Note 7s As More Phones Ignite
SEOUL, South Korea (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Samsung Electronics says it is stopping production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, a day after it halted global sales of the star-crossed devices.
The South Korean company said in a regulatory filing Tuesday that it has made a final decision to stop production for the sake of consumer safety.
Samsung is struggling to regain consumer trust after a first round of recalls. The company stopped selling the device after finding that even the supposedly safer replacements it was providing for recalled Note 7 phones were catching fire.
U.S. consumer safety officials said they're investigating five incidents of fire or overheating since the company announced the recall last month.
Earlier this month, authorities had to evacuate a Southwest Airlines flight when a replacement phone began emitting smoke and making "popping" noises after it was turned off.
In another incident, a Kentucky man wrote in a Facebook post that his replacement phone caught fire and he posted photos that he said showed the damaged phone.
The company said Monday that consumers with original Note 7 devices or replacements they obtained after the recall should turn off the power and seek a refund or exchange them for different phones.
AT&T said last week that it will stop giving consumers replacement Note 7s because of the reports. Sprint said customers can exchange their replacement Note 7 phones for any other device while the situation is being investigated.
South Korean media reported Monday that Samsung's factories stopped making the fire-prone phones but Samsung insisted it was making production adjustments to improve inspections and quality control.
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