Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Recall Error

Error, Failure and Risks: The 2016 Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Recall In September 2016, Samsung initiated a global recall of one of its flagship smartphone brands, the Galaxy Note 7. The recall was set in motion just a few weeks after the company had launched the smartphone device, after numerous complaints were registered with regard to batteries overheating (Swider, 2017). Barely two weeks after launch, quite a number of dangerous battery episodes had been reported. This necessitated the issuance of a formal recall across the nation from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Initially, Samsung diagnosed the problem as originating from batteries manufactured by its own component unit (Swider, 2017). The company had sourced the batteries used in the recalled device from both its own component unit and from a third party. The solution in this case was simple: customers with devices powered by Samsung’s own battery would trade in their devices for a safer replacement. The company’s own batteries bared a distinctive green meter. However, this fix, as Swider (2017) points out, did not solve the problem.

Soon, devices that had been replaced started overheating too. This was a clear case of misdiagnosis. It was not until October that the company deemed it fit to not only discontinue the device’s production, but also amplify the recall. It is important to note that following the second recall, the company opted to remain silent and with no additional information forthcoming from the company, speculation became rife.

In January 2017, three months after the second recall, Samsung finally revealed the flaw that was causing its phones to overheat, with some reportedly exploding. The company’s investigations revealed that both batteries – i.e. those sourced from a third party as well as those sourced from its own division – were the problem.

Batteries “sourced from Samsung’s own SDI division short-circuited as a result of damage to the separator, a component within lithium-ion batteries that prevents the negative and positive electrodes from coming into contact with each other and generating a dangerous amount of heat” (Wiggers, 2017). In this case, the battery’s protective pouch which is typically heat-sealed and the battery’s internal components did not have enough spacing between them.

This effectively led to the compressing of the battery’s electrodes in some cases, causing the electrode separator to weaken. On the other hand, batteries from the third party, “Hong Kong-based Amperex Technology, meanwhile, experienced failure as a result of protrusions in the battery and other quality issues that occurred when Samsung increased its order substantially” (Wiggers, 2017). In this case, while some batteries had sharp points that spoilt the separator, other batteries were put in place with no insulation tape.

The company, according to Swider (2017), blamed these defects on a rushed process in the production of Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The recall cost the company on the reputation and expense fronts. Swider (2017) estimates that the exercise would have cost the company approximately $5 billion. Being a global company known for the production of various high-quality electronic products, this is an incident the company would have avoided at all costs. It is, however, important to note that Samsung is not the only company that has recalled its devices or products in the past.

As a matter of fact, quite a number of companies have at some point recalled their products after defects or related issues were raised by customers. During.