Samsung changes Note7 output schedule after fire reports

SEOUL — Samsung’s crisis with its Galaxy Note7 smartphone deepened on Monday (Oct 10) as the company confirmed it has adjusted its production following reports that newly released versions offered as replacements for recalled fire-prone devices have also overheated or caught fire.

The company, however, did not confirm or deny a report by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency earlier Monday that it has suspended production of the phones.

In a statement and in a regulatory filing, Samsung Electronics said it is “temporarily” adjusting the Galaxy Note7 production schedule and production volume to “ensure quality and safety matters”. The company added that it will issue an update when more details are available.

Before the reports of a production suspension emerged, US phone retailers AT&T and T-Mobile had already opted to stop giving new Note7 replacement smartphones to consumers.

Samsung and US authorities are investigating multiple reports of new Note7 replacement smartphones catching fire, including a Samsung phone that emitted smoke and forced a Southwest Airlines flight in Kentucky to evacuate passengers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating the incident.

The production change suggests fresh trouble for Samsung as it awaits the US authorities’ investigation into the replacement phones. It had promised that its new Note7 devices with a green battery icon were safe.

The reports of replacement phones catching fire raise doubts over whether the battery is the only problem in the fire-prone smartphone as Samsung has said. When it issued a global recall on Sept. 2, Samsung blamed batteries provided by one of its two battery suppliers and assured consumers that other parts of the smartphones were fine. AP