Samsung has issued a global recall of its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after more than 30 confirmed instances of the smartphones catching fire or exploding.
Although the company said there have been no reported injuries related to the problem, alarming footage of a charred Galaxy Note 7 uploaded on YouTube shows the potential danger of the issue.
READ MORE: Samsung recalls Galaxy Note 7 smartphones due to exploding batteries
“Came home after work, put it to charge for a little bit before I had class,” YouTube user Ariel Gonzalez said in the video. “Went to put it on my waist and it caught fire. Yup. Brand new phone, not even two weeks old.”
According to Gonzalez’s YouTube post, he was using the Samsung branded phone charger that came with his phone when it burst into flames.
On Friday, Samsung confirmed the Note 7 smartphones would be pulled from shelves in 10 countries, including the U.S., just two weeks after the phone’s launch. Global News has contacted Samsung for more information about how Canadian consumers are affected by the recall; however, a request for comment was not immediately returned.
While little information about the recall has been release yet, Samsung said customers who already bought Note 7s will be able to swap them for new smartphones in about two weeks.
READ MORE: Why do lithium-ion smartphone batteries keep exploding?
The company believes a battery cell made by one of its two battery suppliers is to blame for the issue.
“There was a tiny problem in the manufacturing process, so it was very difficult to figure out,” said president of Samsung’s mobile business Koh Dong-jin during a news conference. “It will cost us so much it makes my heart ache. Nevertheless, the reason we made this decision is because what is most important is customer safety.”
This isn’t the first time Samsung has had problems with exploding smartphone batteries.
In February 2013, South Korean fire officials said a man suffered second-degree burns after the lithium-ion battery from a 2011 Galaxy Note phone caught fire in his pants pocket.
Later that summer Chinese news outlets alleged that a Samsung Galaxy S4 was responsible for a house fire after a man’s phone burst into flames while he was using it.
READ MORE: Customer alleges Samsung tried to silence him after battery explosion complaint
In December 2013, Vancouver-area resident Richard Wygand told Global News he woke up in the middle of the night to find his Samsung Galaxy S4 – which was plugged into its charger – smoking and producing sparks.
– With files from The Associated Press
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