Samsung has suspended production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones following reports of fires in replacement devices, South Korean media said on Monday, a further setback for the tech giant trying to manage its worst ever phone recall crisis.
Samsung's decision to temporarily halt Galaxy Note 7 production was done in cooperation with authorities in China and the United States, as two US carriers have stopped exchanging or selling new Galaxy Note 7 phones, Yonhap News Agency cited an unnamed source at a Samsung partner firm as saying.
Samsung did not immediately comment on the Yonhap report.
Problems with replacements for the Galaxy Note 7 model would create a new and potentially costly chapter to a global scandal which has hurt the reputation of the world's biggest smartphone maker. It also could add new dangers for consumers.
AT&T, the No.2 US wireless carrier, said on Sunday it will stop exchanging new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones due to reports of fires from replacement devices that Samsung has said used safe batteries.
No.3 wireless carrier T-Mobile US said it was temporarily halting sales of new Galaxy Note 7s as well as exchanges while Samsung investigated "multiple reports of issues" with its flagship device.
T-Mobile offered customers who brought in their Galaxy Note 7s a $25 credit on their phone bill.
Samsung announced on September 2 a global recall of 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7s in 10 markets including the United States due to faulty batteries causing some of the phones to catch fire.
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