Gadgets are our present-day lifesavers. From mobile phones to fit bits, life has changed drastically with more and more innovations in the field of technology. While these technical wonders are meant for the benefit of customers, many of the gadgets that were released in the market became a grave source of concern for customers worldwide. Some of these cases were so severe that they led to a recall of the products. Here are five of the most infamous technical gadget recalling of all times
1. Samsung Galaxy Note 7
Samsung made quite the headlines with the batteries of their Note 7 category exploding one after the other. This became a source of serious concern when a Samsung Galaxy J7 caught fire mid-air on a Jet Airways flight in India.
What could have been a tragedy was averted when the owner of the phone used her presence of mind and handed it over immediately to the crew, who tried to douse the fire with a fire extinguisher. When even that did not work, the crew was forced to submerge the phone in water.
Samsung claimed that it was an isolated incident. However, soon other customers began reporting that their gadgets were either catching fire or exploding. All of this led to the Note 7 lawsuit, and Samsung had to recall its smartphone in over 10 countries just 2 weeks after their product was launched. Schmidt and Clark offer more in-depth facts about the lawsuit and the subsequent recalling of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
2. Google Nest Smoke Detector
When released, the detector was supposed to warn the users in a friendly voice that a source of smoke was detected. However, what was meant to be a precautionary measure in case of fire soon turned into a safety hazard as multiple users found that they could unintentionally switch off the detector.
This was a source of serious concern as the detector could not be relied on in cases of an actual fire. The Company was forced to recall the product. However, they soon released a software update to fix the problem.
3. Dell Laptop Sony Batteries
This was probably one of the largest safety recalls in history. Dell recalled around 4.1 million notebook computer batteries that were made by Sony after multiple occasions where the battery caught fire and seriously injured the users.
Although, according to computerweekly.com, the risk of Sony manufactured batteries bursting into flames was small, the fire happened as a result of a short circuit that would fail to switch the gadget off, which in turn would lead to overheating and potentially, fire. In any case, the damage done was so extensive that Dell offered free replacements to all the customers who used their notebook computer batteries.
4. Intel Basis Fitness Smartwatches
It could not have gotten more personal. As much as fitness devices help keep track of your overall progress, this particular device did the exact opposite of what it was required to do. Users complained of overheating and skin blisters.
After multiple complaints of the same product, the U.S. technology firm asked customers to stop using the product and return the same. Additionally, the services after 31st December 2016 were turned off.
5. Apple AC Wall Plug Adapter
The Power adapters sold by Apple were much in demand when initially released in the market. However, very soon, many customers started complaining of getting electric shocks while handling the product.
Eventually, at the beginning of 2016, Apple announced that it would recall some of its power adapters sold with several of its products since 2003. Customers who had already purchased the adapters were allowed to exchange their products at the local Apple stores or request a replacement online.
