Barnes & Noble launched a $50 7-inch Nook tablet back in November, but it's now halting sales due to a defective charging adapter.

The $50 Nook raised plenty of interest due to its attractive price tag, but some issues are now affecting its availability.

The tablet is currently listed as not available online and it's no longer on sale in stores either. Barnes & Noble quietly pulled it off store shelves, without issuing any statement or public announcement.

A Reddit user claiming to work at Barnes & Noble says that earlier this week, the company's corporate HQ demanded that all remaining inventory of the $50 7-inch Nook tablet be shipped back to them.

"[E]arly this week we received a project to remove every device from stores. It was very important that they be shipped out quickly, there was no explanation given, and so far this week the signs are still up in the windows," says the Reddit user. "There has been radio silence and no further instruction other than get them boxed, get tracking numbers, and ship them out. There's no script for customers, and no recall I can find publicly."

Nook Spyware Did Not Cause The Recall

The purported employee initially assumed that the quiet recall might be tied to the spyware found on the Nook tablet, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Barnes & Noble later released a software update to remove the exploit.

Nevertheless, recalling the product with no warning or official announcement seemed odd and prompted various speculation, so the folks over at Android Police contacted Barnes & Noble and found out the real reason why the 7-inch Nook is being pulled off store shelves. It has nothing to do with spyware, but it's not a tiny inconvenience either.

Nook Charging Adapter Issues

A Barnes & Noble representative says that the company received three complaints regarding the charger adapter, as its casing was breaking apart while still plugged in.

This can be dangerous and pose threats to users' safety, so Nook tablet owners should stop using the adapter until they get a replacement. Until then, users can charge the device via a microUSB cable plugged into a computer or a power bank. Barnes & Noble apparently plans to issue a full recall through the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The charging adapter issue doesn't affect the Nook itself.

It remains unclear for now just when Barnes & Noble will start handing out replacement charging adapters to Nook owners, but the company says it's working closely with the CPSC to figure out all the details of a public recall.

The company should provide more details regarding this matter shortly, and should put the $50 Nook tablet back on sale once it solves the defective charging adapter issue.

Nook tablet owners who have encountered this issue and have not contacted Barnes & Noble yet are advised to do so and wait for a replacement adapter. In the meantime, it's best to follow the company's advice and avoid using the faulty component.

As always, we'll keep you up to date as soon as more information comes to light, so stay tuned.