Stop Using Samsung Galaxy Note 7, Feds Warn, It's a Fire Hazard

The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a statement Friday urging all owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone to stop using the devices, and the agency has said it is working with Samsung to issue a government-mandated recall.

"This consumer warning is based on recent reports involving lithium-ion batteries in certain Note 7 devices that have resulted in fires," the CPSC said in a statement. "These incidents have occurred while charging and during normal use, which has led us to call for consumers to power down their Note 7s."

Since the phone's launch on Aug. 19, the company has sold more than 1 million phones. A total of 2.5 million phones have been manufactured by the company, some of which are still in inventory, according to figures cited by ABC News.

In one instance of the phone catching on fire, a family in St. Pete, Florida said their car caught on fire when the device was left charging in the center console of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. As of Sept. 1, there have been 35 cases of the phone catching on fire reported globally, according to Samsung. Sales of the phone have been stopped and Samsung said it would voluntarily replace Note 7s for those who have already purchased one for free. Samsung acknowledged the problem was due to a battery cell issue. Several other owners have shared photos and videos of the phone catching fire.

On Aug. 29, a video posted to YouTube showed a charred phone.

Major carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile have halted the sale of the device and are working on how to handle customers returns. T-Mobile has said it will offer full refunds or let customers switch to a new device. Customers can also choose to be informed of when new Note 7 devices become available. Sprint said it will allow customers to use the Note 7 and exchange it for a new model when it is available, exchange the device for another Samsung phone or any other Sprint device. The company said it will reimburse any price differences and waive any restocking and shipping fee.

Verizon said it would be waiving its restocking fee for customers who want to return or exchange the Note 7 until Sept. 30. AT&T will let users trade in the Note 7 for a separate Samsung phone or anything other smartphone. AT&T customers can keep the new device or trade it in later for a new Note 7.

In its statement, the CPSC explains lithium-ion batteries pack a lot of power into a small package, and when these batteries overheat and burst, the results can be serious. The agency has advised consumers to power down and stop charging or using the devices.

The agency has urged consumers to report product safety incidents involving lithium-ion batteries in smartphones.

On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement asking passengers not to turn on or charge the devices on board and aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage. Samsung ordered a voluntary recall of the phones last week after several reports of the phones catching fire.

A government recall, as CNN Money explains, would outlaw the selling of the phone.

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