Samsung stops making Galaxy Note 7s as fresh problems emerge

SEOUL, South Korea (WTXF/AP) - Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it's discontinuing production of Galaxy Note 7 smartphones permanently, a day after stopping global sales of the ill-fated devices.

The South Korean company said in a regulatory filing it decided to stop manufacturing Note 7s for the sake of consumer safety.

Samsung is struggling to regain consumer trust after a first round of recalls that prompted criticism both for the faulty devices and for the company's handling of the problem.

After the earlier recall, the company said it had identified a manufacturing defect in the batteries of its top-of-the-line smartphone.

It started shipping new Note 7 phones that were supposed to be safer. But reports that even the replacements were catching fire led Samsung to announce it was stopping sales of the devices.

Last week, authorities had to evacuate a Southwest Airlines flight in Kentucky for an incident that involved a replacement phone.

The reason: Authorities said a Samsung smartphone started smoking and making "popping" noises, just moments after its owner had boarded the plane and turned off the device.

Passenger Brian Green, 43, says the device was a Galaxy Note 7 he had picked up from an authorized AT&T retailer Sept. 21 as a replacement for another Note 7 phone he returned when Samsung announced a global recall a week earlier.