Iphone 5 Explosion Caused By Screw Stuck In Battery Casing

[webfact]

iPhone 5 explosion caused by screw stuck in battery casing
By Coconuts Bangkok


The damaged iPhone 5. Photo: Softpedia

BANGKOK: -- An investigation has concluded that the recent explosion of an iPhone 5 in Thailand was due to a small screw stuck under the device’s battery tray. This was the explanation that the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) gave on Tuesday after a company has finished its investigation on the case.

NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasit stated that the screw was a foreign material and not a part of the iPhone’s original parts. It was able to penetrate into the battery, which caused the device to short circuit and eventually explode. The NBTC is still wondering how the screw got inside the iPhone 5 unit in the first place.

The original complaint was filed on March 11 by 34-year-old businessman Suwicha Uasomsaksakul.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2013/05/16/iphone-5-explosion-caused-screw-stuck-battery-casing

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2013-05-16

[animatic]

Well it seems someone screwed up during set up or a battery change of the phone.

Dropped an extra part in the phone.

Usually they fix your car and stuff doesn't get put back in. Like brakes or clutch bearings.

Local Quality Control experts will rejoice...

[Thai at Heart]

If your phone exploded, why would you complain to the NBTC?

Surely you would go to Apple? They would give you a new phone, and really solve the problem. what is the NBTC going to do? Ban Iphones?

[Harper99]

hmmm another iphone story.

[tragickingdom]

How it ended up there? On purpose stuck into it by someone to make headlines or someone fiddled around and than it exploded. You can always try to get a new Iphone of course without charge.

[wiyada]

hmmm another iphone story.

Very Astute of you..... Noticing its about iphones especially as the post title gave NO clues. Ever thought of a career in the police service ?

Thank you for the very helpful and useful comment

[vijer]

My opinion, it was a stray screw the got in during assembly. The fact that it isn't an iPhone screw is irrelevent, the factory may assemble other products on the same line and the screw came from that. Who knows. The real point of the story is that it isn't a battery problem or a design problem, it was human error.

I doubt the original owner took the phone to have the battery replaced, its an iPhone 5, it wouldn't need a battery change for another 5 years or more. My 3Gs still has the original battery and works fine.

[EveryDayTheSame]

crAPPLE

[mrfill]

I expect Apple are now waiting for a Samsung phone to explode when they will sue for patent infringement of a "mobile communication exploding device"

That, or they will blame the user for holding it incorrectly.

[theajarn]

I'm not surprised at this at all -- Made In China... and the iPhone 5 has had HEAPS of production issues, labour strikes, suicides, riots etc. I can imagine how a few stray things can get in there, and I will accept it off the bat as my own iPhone didn't come pristine off the line (a few 'thin' areas) and my sister-in-law had to send hers back TWICE -- the first time they gave her a replacement from the same production line -- it was even more bashed than the first one she had; the second one also had dings in it, though from a different production batch (same factory though)! The third replacement had a completely depleted battery (NOT a good sign... they usually have 60-80%) -- and she was doing fine with it until the day she dropped it on its face and shattered the entire screen (in which she promptly paid THB10,000 to get a replacement).

What DOES surprise me however was that the Thai NBTC was able to find the cause at all~! Perhaps they outsourced the help... after all in the report it DOES say a US company (Exponent) was involved. They probably did all the work and of course, the Thai NBTC gets all the credit for it.

Well, at least the Thais are learning... now instead of just letting things rot they get other people to do the work for them -- and take the credit. Don't you just love this copy+cut+paste society?

[diz]

Well it seems someone screwed up during set up or a battery change of the phone.

Dropped an extra part in the phone.

Usually they fix your car and stuff doesn't get put back in. Like brakes or clutch bearings.

Local Quality Control experts will rejoice...

Don't think a iPhone5 already needs a battery replacement.

[Andre0720]

Frightening.

I found a loose screw inside my refrigerator, one on the floor carpet of my car, one at the bottom of my mosquito trap, and some people say I have a loose screw.

Now I am really worried...

[aguy30]

First of all this may be a one off event out of millions of phones. Xxxx happens. Why is it even a news item? Cars burn up, TV sets burn up and all kinds of appliances burn up. BFD if a phone breaks down and burns up a battery. I will guess that your chances of being hit by lightning might be about the same or greater than getting an I-phone with this problem.

Much of this story doesn't make sense. Why would someone go to government agency with the defective phone and not directly to Apple Service Center? Did the owner have some prior knowledge of what might be discovered inside the phone?

It isn't like the phone just came from a factory sealed package when this happened. It wasn't new. How do we know the owner didn't go into the device or allow someone to do some kind of service or even make the "problem"? Did the owner have some motive that could have been behind the "problem"?

Edited May 16, 2013 by metisdead
Profanity

[metisdead]

A post containing a link to Bangkok Post has been removed. Read forum rule 31 here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules

[rotary]

If your phone exploded, why would you complain to the NBTC?

Surely you would go to Apple? They would give you a new phone, and really solve the problem. what is the NBTC going to do? Ban Iphones?

Samsung is working on that and doing a fair job.

[isaanpaul]

It is alway's the faulth of the foreigner.This time a foreing screw is to blame to screw things up

isaanpaul

[Payboy]

I've had problems with stray screws myself.

[animatic]

Well it seems someone screwed up during set up or a battery change of the phone.

Dropped an extra part in the phone.

Usually they fix your car and stuff doesn't get put back in. Like brakes or clutch bearings.

Local Quality Control experts will rejoice...

Don't think a iPhone5 already needs a battery replacement.

The phones come with the battery removed, and the install it to start them up.

Bad choice of word, I meant installation.

Edited May 22, 2013 by animatic