Samsung Galaxy Buds FE earbuds explode inside ear, user loses hearing: report

A user in Turkey claims that Samsung Galaxy Buds FE earbuds exploded in his girlfriend’s ear, causing permanent hearing loss. The incident was shared on Samsung’s Turkish Community forum. According to the user’s post on the forum, he had recently purchased the earbuds to pair with his Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The earbuds were fresh out of the box, had 36% battery, and had not been charged once since purchase.

However, the excitement over the new headphones quickly turned to tragedy when his girlfriend borrowed the headphones to try them out and while they were still using them, one of the headphones exploded inside his ear. The alleged explosion caused his girlfriend permanent hearing loss, according to reports.

Following the explosion of the Galaxy Buds FE, the user recounted his experience with Samsung’s service center in Cemalpasa, Adana. According to reports, when he first brought the damaged earbuds, the staff appeared apologetic upon seeing their condition. However, after a two-day investigation, they reportedly concluded that the earbuds had simply “deformed” rather than exploded.

Despite the user’s claims that the earphones had indeed exploded during use, the service center offered him a replacement with the same model with a “take it or leave it” attitude. They also told him that if he was still not satisfied, he was free to take legal action.

Frustrated by the outcome, the user explained that he had been struggling with this issue for months. He claimed to have all the necessary documentation, including the invoice, before and after photos of the device, and medical records linking his hearing loss to the explosion.

Although these claims have not been independently verified, they raise concerns about the security of Bluetooth devices.

This isn’t the first time a device has caught fire while in use. In fact, there have been several incidents involving product explosions in Samsung products in the past. One of the most infamous was the Galaxy Note 7 debacle in 2016, where the smartphone’s batteries tended to overheat and explode. Samsung recalled millions of devices worldwide after numerous reports of fires and injuries. The incident caused significant damage to the brand’s reputation, leading to the Note 7 model being discontinued entirely.

Apart from smartphones, Samsung washing machines have also been in the news due to safety issues. Between 2015 and 2016, there were reports of Samsung top-loading washing machines exploding due to a design flaw that caused excessive vibrations. This led to a massive recall of 2.8 million units in the US after the machines caused property damage and injuries.