NYC warns: Don't use the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on trains or buses
New York City is taking a hard line on the now-recalled Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The city’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is telling millions of subway and bus riders not to use the smartphones, which have been linked to dangerous fires, while taking public transit.
The MTA said there have been no reported cases of any Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones igniting on its trains or buses, but said customers and employees should avoid using or charging them in transit as a precaution.
Earlier this month, Samsung recalled all of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after finding that batteries in some of the devices exploded or caught fire. There have been at least 35 reports of the lithium-ion batteries within the devices overheating and causing dangerous fires.
The smartphones were pulled in 10 countries, including the United States, two weeks after the product’s launch. Some 2.5 million phones will need to be replaced.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 owners to stop using the phones.
Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration warned the public not to operate or charge the recalled phones inside passenger cabins and not to stow them in checked luggage. Several airlines have issued separate warnings or banned the devices altogether.