In a shocking incident, a user in Turkey claimed that the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE exploded inside his girlfriend’s ear, causing her to lose her hearing forever. The incident was shared on Samsung’s Turkey community forum. According to the user’s post on the forum, he recently purchased the earbuds to pair with his Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The earbuds were brand new right out of the box, had a battery of 36 percent and had not been charged once since purchase.

However, the excitement for the new earbuds soon turned tragic when his girlfriend borrowed the earbuds from him to try them out, and while using them, one of the earbuds exploded inside her ear. According to reports, his girlfriend suffered permanent hearing loss due to the alleged explosion.

Following the Galaxy Buds FE explosion incident, the user detailed his experience with Samsung’s service center in Cemalpasa, Adana. According to the report, when he first brought the damaged earbuds in, the staff appeared apologetic after seeing their condition. However, after two days of investigation, they reportedly concluded that the buds were only “deformed” and not cracked.

Despite the user insisting that the earbuds had indeed burst during usage, the service center offered a replacement of the same model, with a “take it or leave it” attitude. They also told him that if he remains dissatisfied, he is free to take legal action.

Disappointed with the outcome, the user said he had been battling the issue for months. He claimed he had all the necessary documents, including bills, before and after photos of the device, and medical records linking his hearing loss to the explosion.

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

This is not the first time a gadget has caught fire during use. In fact, Samsung products have had several incidents of product explosions in the past. One of the most infamous incidents was the Galaxy Note 7 mishap in 2016, where the smartphone’s batteries were prone to overheating and exploding. Samsung recalled millions of units worldwide after multiple reports of fires and injuries. The incident damaged the brand’s reputation significantly, leading to the Note 7 model being discontinued altogether.

Apart from smartphones, Samsung washing machines also made headlines due to safety concerns. Between 2015 and 2016, there were reports of Samsung’s top-loading washing machines exploding due to excessive vibration caused by a design flaw. This led to a major recall of 2.8 million units in the US, as the machines caused property damage and injured people.