Samsung is
blaming poorly designed and manufactured batteries for the overheating problems
that caused some its Galaxy Note 7 phones to catch fire.
"Our
investigation, as well as the investigations completed by three independent
industry organizations, concluded that batteries were found to be the cause of
the Note 7 incidents," the world's largest smartphone maker said Monday.
The results
of the months-long investigation are Samsung's second attempt at explaining
what went wrong with the flagship phone. The first time around, Samsung (SSNLF)
blamed the problem on one of its battery suppliers, but its response failed to
stop the reports of fires.
On Monday,
Samsung (SSNLF) and the independent investigators said the problems were found
in batteries from two different suppliers -- the ones that started catching
fire right after the phone's launch in August and also those used as
replacements.
"I
deeply apologize," said Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's mobile
communications business.
Samsung said
it was "taking responsibility for our failure to ultimately identify and
verify the issues arising out of battery design and manufacturing process prior
to the launch of the Note 7."
The fiasco
over the phone wiped out billions of dollar of profit and tarnished Samsung's
brand around the world.
Problems
with the Note 7 emerged immediately after its launch in August, with several
reports of phones catching fire. Airlines and aviation authorities started
warning passengers not to use or charge the devices on planes.
Samsung
stumbled in its early response to the crisis, issuing a massive worldwide
recall and offering replacements that it said were safe. But then reports
started coming in that the replacement phones were catching fire, too.
The company
finally killed off the troubled device altogether in early October.
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