AKIPRESS.COM - Samsung Electronics has confirmed it has made changes to its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone production, following reports its replacements for the fire-prone phones were overheating, ABC said.

In a statement, the tech giant said it was "temporarily" adjusting the production schedule to "ensure quality and safety matters".

In a separate regulatory filing, Samsung said it was adjusting the Note 7's production volumes. It said it would issue an update when more details were available.

But Samsung fell short of confirming or denying earlier media reports it had halted production following claims of fires in replacement devices.

Problems with replacements for the Note 7 model would create a new and potentially costly chapter to a global scandal which has hurt the reputation of the world's biggest smartphone maker.

It also could add new dangers for consumers.

Samsung had promised that its new Note 7 with a green battery icon was safe.

But the reports of replacement phones catching fire raised doubts about whether the battery was the only problem in the smartphone, as Samsung had initially said.

Samsung had blamed the batteries supplied by one of its two battery suppliers and assured consumers other parts of the smartphones were fine.

In September, Samsung announced a global recall of 2.5 million Note 7s in 10 markets due to faulty batteries causing some of the phones to catch fire.

A Southwest Airline flight was evacuated earlier this week after a replacement model Note 7 smartphone began smoking inside the plane, according to the family who owns the phone.

Earlier, Samsung said it was investigating reports of "heat damage issues" and would share its findings when the investigation is complete.