Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is part of long tech tradition: recalls
SAN FRANCISCO — Repeat problems with Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 phones put the South Korean company at the head of a long line of companies that have faced major tech recalls. Some go back to the beginning of the personal computer era, with many linked to overheating and fire danger from malfunctioning lithium ion batteries.
Samsung on Tuesday announced it is permanently stopping production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones. The company had recalled 1 million of the devices September 15 due to reports some batteries were overheating and starting fires. Replacement phones also proved to have problems, leading Samsung to end production.
While affecting a broad swath of consumers, the Samsung recall was by no means the largest tech device recall ever. Some of the larger ones noted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission include:
Samsung smartphone: September 15, 2016
Samsung recalls 1 million Galaxy Note 7 phones in the United States for “serious fire and burn hazards” after at least 92 reports of the batteries overheating.
McDonald's Step-iT activity wristband: August 2016
McDonald's recalled 29 million "Step-iI" activity wristbands which could cause skin irritation or burns to children.
HP and Compaq notebook computers: June 2016
About 41,000 lithium-ion batteries used in HP notebook computers were recalled. The batteries are compatible with HP, Compaq, HP ProBook, HP ENVY, Compaq Presario, and HP Pavilion notebook computers.
Toshiba laptop computer battery: March 2016
The recall of 91,000 battery packs involved Panasonic lithium-ion batteries used in 39 models of the Toshiba Portege, Satellite and Tecra laptops.
Microsoft Surface Pro power cord: February 2016
About 2.25 million AC power cords for Microsoft's tablet computer were recalled due to reports of overheating, which posed fire risk or shock hazard.
NVIDIA Tablet computer: July 2015
83,000 NVIDIA SHIELD tablet computers with 8-inch touch screens recalled due to four reports of batteries overheating.
Google Nest: May 2014
More than 440,000 of its high-tech smoke detectors recalled when it discovered consumers might be able to unintentionally turn them off. Nest issued a software fix.
Lenovo ThinkPad notebook computers: April 2015
The recall of a total of 182,500 ThinkPad notebook computers was due to their battery packs potentially overheating and posing a fire hazard. The recall was an expansion of one that began in March of 2014.
Hewlett-Packard AC power cords for notebook computers: August 2014
The recall covered 5,5 million AC power cords for Hewlett-Packard and Compaq notebook computers that could overheat, posing a potential fire and burn hazard.
Sony VAIO laptop computers: June 2010
After reports of 30 Sony VAIO laptop computers overheating resulting in deformed keyboards and casings, 233,000 notebook computers were recalled.
Hewlett-Packard and Compaq: May 2009
A risk of lithium-ion batteries overheating led to the recall of 70,000 of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq notebook computers.
PC Notebook computer batteries: October 2008
About 35,000 batteries used in Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Dell notebook computers due to batteries overheating, posing a fire and burn hazard.
Rage wireless guitar: October 2008
A circuit board defect could cause the AA batteries used in a wireless guitar used with the Nintendo Wii system to leak and cause chemical burns. A total of about 57,000 of the wireless guitars were recalled.
Sony notebook computers: September 2008
73,000 VAIO TX-series notebook computers built by Sony recalled due to irregularly positioned wires near the computers' hinge that could cause a short circuit and overheating.
Sony batteries used in Fujitsu, Sony and Toshiba notebook computers: October 2006
Overheating by lithium ion batteries caused the recall of 340,000 batteries used in Fujitsu, Sony and Toshiba notebook computers.
IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad notebook computer batteries: September 2006
About 168,500 rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries used in ThinkPad notebook computers were recalled.
Apple iBook and PowerBook computers: August 2006
Overheating of rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries with cells manufactured by Sony for certain previous iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 notebook computers caused the recall of 1.1 million battery packs.
Dell notebook computers: August 2006
Dell recalls 4.1 million notebook computers after reports that the lithium ion batteries that powered them could overheat and sometimes catch fire. The recalled batteries were shipped in notebooks sold between April 1, 2004, and July 18 of this year. The were included in some models of Round Rock, Texas-based Dell’s Latitude, Inspiron, XPS and Precision mobile workstation notebooks.
Hewlett-Packard flat panel monitors: January 2005
Around 15,000 Hewlett-Packard computer L2035 flat panel monitors were recalled due to the possibility that a ground clip inside the back plastic panel could be incorrectly installed, posing a shock risk to consumers.
Dell AC Adapters: October 2004
About 990,000 AC adapters for Dell personal notebook computers that overheated were recalled.
IBM AC Adapters: September 2004
Overheating of the AC Adapters for IBM notebook computers could cause damage to the circuit board causing it to melt through the housing. About 225,000 were recalled.
Dell power adaptors: July 2004
28,000Power adapters for Dell notebook computers recalled that could pose a shock hazard.
IBM and LiteOn computer monitors: August 2003
A recall of 119,000 computer monitors whose circuit boards could overheat and smoke, posing a fire hazard.
Apple AC Adapter: July 2001
More than 570,000 AC adapters sold worldwide recalled by Apple after six reports of the adapter overheating. No injuries reported.
AC adaptors for Digital Equipment Corp. notebook computers: September 1997
About 20,000 AC adapters for DEC notebook computers recalled due to possible shock hazard.
Memory modules for IBM ThinkPads: May 1996
Kingston Technology Corporation recalled 27,000 memory modules used with IBM ThinkPad 760 due to possible short circuits that could result in overheating, smoke, and possibly fire.
IBM color monitor: September 1995
The recall program allowed for the repair of 56,000 color computer monitors sold by the IBM Personal Computer Company due to incorrect assembly which made them potentially a shock hazard.
