Samsung UK Blames Note7 Defect on ‘Very Rare’ Production ‘Process Error’

Samsung launched a “product exchange program” for U.S. Galaxy Note7 owners to immediately turn in their devices for a free replacement, after the widely reported fire hazard that prompted the company to halt sales and recall the smartphone a month into its introduction (see 1609020010). In addition to exchanging a current Note7 for a replacement, owners can turn in their Note7 for a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, plus a replacement “of any Note7 specific accessories with a refund of the price difference between devices,” Samsung said in a Friday statement. The U.S. subsidiary also is offering, as a “gesture of appreciation,” a $25 gift card or wireless-carrier billing credit when choosing a Galaxy S7 family device or the Galaxy Note7 within the exchange program, it said. “While there have been only a small number of reported incidents, Samsung is taking great care to provide customers with the support they need. Samsung has identified the affected inventory and stopped sales and shipments of those devices,” Samsung Electronics America said in a Friday statement. Samsung’s Korean parent said it’s aware of only 35 incidents globally of Note7 fires, but wasn’t specific about the cause, other than to attribute it to a “battery cell issue.” A Q&A statement Friday from Samsung U.K. described the defect in slightly more detail, saying it resulted from “an overheating of the battery cell” when the phone’s “anode-to-cathode came into contact which is a very rare manufacturing process error.” The anode is the terminal through which electrical current flows in from the outside, and the cathode is the terminal where current flows out. The Q&A addresses Korean news reports identifying Samsung SDI as the source of the faulty batteries, but sidesteps giving a clear answer. "To meet market demands, we are working with multiple suppliers," Samsung U.K. said of the Samsung SDI reports. "Unfortunately we will not be able to confirm this as we work with several suppliers. We are currently working with all of them to protect our customers’ safety first and foremost."