Warning! - ALWAYS FIND OUT THE SAFETY OF YOUR iPhone.

iPhone 5

Apple gadgets have a generally good safety record with few serious defects reported since the first generation iPhone was launched in 2007.

However, as smartphones become more powerful, with larger batteries needing more electricity to power them, there have been growing reports of dangerous malfunctions that have dogged the firm in recent years. 

February 2013 - Marketing manager Shibani Bhujle, from New York, claimed the battery of her iPhone 4S spontaneously melted, oozing acid that destroyed the handset.

January 2013 - An Oregon fire crew blamed an apartment blaze on an overheated MacBook battery which dropped onto a mattress.

December 2011 - An iPhone 4 reportedly began emitting smoke in a plane cabin on a flight to Australia.

December 2011 - It was reported that an iPhone 4 was plugged in to charge overnight in Brazil when it began to emit smoke and sparks as its owner slept nearby.

November 2011 - Apple recalled all iPod Nanos amid fears the batteries on older models were prone to overheating and catching fire.

In 2010, a man in northeast China was killed by an electric shock when making a phone call with a handset that was being recharged with an unauthorized charger, according to the China Consumers Association.

In 2008 a 3G owner claimed his phone overheated in his pocket and burned his leg while he was asleep.

Apple is not the only smartphone maker to have come under fire for faulty gadgets. 

Just last week, a Swiss teenager suffered second and third degree burns when her Samsung Galaxy S3 apparently exploded in her pocket.

In May, a Reddit user posted pictures on the site of his charred Galaxy S3, claiming he was 'awoken by a loud noise and a weird squeaking sound' to find it smouldering by the side of his bed.

This report came from:-

THE MALFUNCTIONS THAT HAVE DOGGED APPLE IN RECENT YEARS