Samsung might be forced to make another recall if it is proven that the device that caught fire while onboard a Southwest Airlines plane is a recalled unit said to have "safe" batteries. The statement of the unusual recall - again - was made by two former safety officials of the US.
The Galaxy Note 7 incident on Southwest Airlines
Last Wednesday, Oct. 5, a passenger's phone suddenly emitted smoke while he was on a Southwest Airlines plane. The flight was about to depart from Louisville to Kentucky when the incident happened. The passengers were immediately asked to evacuate the plane while a flight attendant doused the phone with a fire extinguisher. No passenger was harmed during the evacuation.
Because of the incident, Samsung is now pressured to make another global recall with reported cases of exploding Galaxy Note 7s getting worse by the day.
Incident under investigation
The Galaxy Note 7's owner claims that his device was a replacement. The information was not yet verified and investigators are still looking into the matter.
Pamela Gilbert, former executive director of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), said that a recalled phone starting to smoke is just wrong. Gilbert also suggested that Samsung is likely to make another recall if their recalled phones are not yet fixed. Aside from the CPSC, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also looking into the matter.
Samsung under crisis
Days after its official release in the market, the Korean smartphone manufacturer has been in crisis after incidents of Note 7s exploding around the globe hit the news. Earlier reports determined faulty batteries are the cause of the exploding Note 7s. Units released in China were first believed to be safe until another report of an exploding Galaxy Note 7 was noted in the country.
Samsung has already promised to recall 2.5 million units they have sold globally during the first incidents of the Galaxy Note 7 exploding. If investigation proves that the Note 7 involved in the incident was a recalled unit, Samsung will really have to carry out another recall and scrap the first recalled devices.
