SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – U.S. safety regulators announced a formal recall of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 smartphone Thursday after a spate of fires led to injuries and property damage and created a global marketing headache.
Samsung had already initiated a voluntary recall, but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission stepped in to coordinate. Commission Chairman Elliot Kaye blasted Samsung for trying to do the recall on its own, saying that anyone who believes that a unilateral effort would be sufficient “needs to have more than their phone checked.”
Samsung sold about 2.5 million of its top-line smartphone, including about 1 million in the United States. Kaye said the South Korean company has now agreed to offer consumers the choice of a full refund or a replacement device. Before, Samsung was offering replacements only.
The recall comes as Samsung is locked in a fierce battle with Apple for the attentions of high-end smartphone purchasers. Apple just introduced the latest versions of its iPhone, which go on sale Friday. Samsung had beaten Apple to market with the Note 7 by several weeks, and it was drawing favorable reviews before consumers began reporting problems with the battery overheating, resulting in fires and explosions.
One family in St. Petersburg, Florida, reported that a Galaxy Note 7 left charging in their Jeep had caught fire, destroying the vehicle.