5/21/10
Target is recalling 350-thousand woven storage trunks after two children were injured, one resulting in brain damage.
The U-S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says the trunk’s lid can drop suddenly when released, posing a strangulation hazard to small children opening or reaching inside the trunks.
A Pittsburgh-area family is suing Target after their 18-month old daughter was trapped and seriously injured by the lid. The lid came down on the back of the girl’s neck and pinned her throat against the rim.
The recall covers 14 models of trunks made of woven rattan, abaca or banana leaf. They sold for between $50 and $130 dollars at Target stores nationwide and online at Target.com from February 2009 through April 2010. Consumers can return the trunks to Target for a full refund.
5/19/10
Plastic dart guns may seem harmless, but the deaths of two children have prompted the recall of 1.8-million toy dart gun sets sold at Family Dollar stores nationwide.
The U-S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says there’s a choking danger if a child puts the soft plastic dart in his or her mouth. A nine-year-old boy in Chicago and a ten-tear-old boy in Milwaukee died after choking on the plastic darts.
The Auto Fire brand toy dart sets were sold exclusively at Family Dollar Stores from September 2005 through January 2009 for about $1.50 each.
Parents are being told to take the toys away from children immediately and throw them away or return them to Family Dollar for a full refund.
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Giraffe blankets sold exclusively at Target stores nationwide are being recalled because of a potential choking hazard.
The U-S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says Rashti & Rashti is recalling 44-thousand Giraffe Security Blankets because the balls on top of the giraffe’s horns can detach.
The blankets measure 14 inches by 14 inches and have the words, “I Love You” embroidered on them. They were sold from January to August of 2009. The blankets should be taken away from children and returned to Rashti & Rashti for a refund.
5/7/10
General Motors is recalling 126-thousand Hummer H3 SUVs because of a problem with hoods.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), GM is concerned about clips holding the hood louver on some of the vehicles. The clips could break, causing part of the hood to detach as the Hummer is being driven down the road.
The recall involves 2006 through 2010 model year Hummer H3s.
5/5/10
Nissan is recalling 134-thousand Infiniti G35 sedans and coupes because of faulty airbags.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says the airbags may not work during a crash. The problem is with a wire harness for the airbags that may wear down to a point that could interrupt the signal to deploy. A report on the issue noted there haven’t been any injuries related to this problem.
The recall involves sedan model years 2005 and 2006, and coupes from 2005-2007.
5/3/10
More than 40 over-the-counter children’s medicines are being recalled because they don’t meet quality standards.
After having a conversation with the U-S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), McNeil Consumer Healthcare decided to recall the products. While the FDA is urging consumers to discontinue using the recalled products, the agency says the chance of serious problems resulting from taking them is remote.
In some cases, the products may have higher than specified concentrations of the active ingredient. Others may contain ingredients that haven’t met testing requirements.
The brands being recalled are Tylenol Infants' Drops, Children's Tylenol Suspensions, Children's Tylenol Plus Suspensions, Motrin Infant Drops, Children's Motrin Suspensions, Children's Zyrtec Liquids in Bottles and Children's Benadryl Allergy Liquids in Bottles. A full list of the over 40 affected products is available here. (Page)
Meanwhile, a response piece in the New York Times says parents are rethinking whether brand names really are better for their children when it comes to medicines. In light of another Children’s Tylenol recall, many are switching back to generic.
The recall was a hot topic this weekend for parents using Twitter, Facebook and parenting blogs. That doesn’t take into account all those who brought it up on the playground and children’s parties.
This is the fifth recall from McNeil Consumer Healthcare in less than a year because of quality control issues.
4/7/10
Whole Foods Market is recalling tuna steaks in more than two dozen states. There are possible elevated levels of histamine, which can cause allergic reactions in some people.
According to the U-S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the recall is related to Whole Catch frozen yellow fin tuna steaks. Only those sold in the 12-ounce bags are affected. Look for Lot Code 4853309157 and a Best By date of December 5, 2010.
Two customers have experienced allergic reactions called scombroid poisoning. Symptoms appear within minutes to an hour after eating the affected fish, and may include tingling or burning sensation in the mouth, facial swelling, rash, hives and itchy skin, nausea, vomiting an diarrhea.
FYI: The fish was distributed to Whole Foods stores in AL, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI and Washington DC.
4/2/10
Check the extension cords and power strips around your home. About 12-thousand Bright-Way power strips and indoor and outdoor extension cords are under recall because of a fire hazard.
The U-S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says there’s inadequate coating material around the cords and the copper conductors are smaller than required. Officials recommend you stop using the recalled products immediately.
Model numbers involved in the recall are R2600 through R2615 for the outdoor extension cords; EE6 through EE20 for the indoor extension cords and MP6DG for the power strips. The products were sold for between $1 and $20 dollars at hardware and discount stores nationwide from August through October 2009.
3/19/10
Honda is getting ready to recall about 344-thousand Odyssey minivans and nearly 70-thousand Element SUVs. The automaker has received complaints about brake pedals that feel “soft” or have a pedal height that gets lower to the floorboard before coming to a stop.
Owners of 2007 and 2008 model vehicles will be notified beginning late next month.
3/15/10
More than 150 foods are being recalled because an additive in these products could make you sick.
According to the Food Politics blog, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) is in pretty much everything. It’s a flavor enhancer used in a lot of processed foods, like soups, sauces, hot dogs, seasoned snack foods and dressings. It’s also blended with other spices to create seasonings that are used in or on foods.
During an inspection last month, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials found salmonella at the Basic Food Flavors plant. The agency’s website now lists more than 150 food products that are being recalled because of possible salmonella contamination. The recall has grown so large that they’ve even put up a search bar so you can quickly find information about products that may be sitting in your cupboards.
Some of the more popular foods on the list include products from Pringles, McCormick, Publix and Wal-Mart’s generic brand Great Value.
3/4/10
First Toyota. Then G-M. Now Nissan is announcing a vehicle recall.
The Japanese automaker says 540-thousand vehicles could have faulty fuel gauges and problems with loose brake pedal pins. The fuel gauge issue can make a driver falsely believe there’s fuel left in an empty vehicle. That issue applies to the 2005-2008 Nissan Titan, Armada and Infiniti ZX56, as well as Pathfinders, Frontiers and Xterras made between January and March of 2006, in October 2007 and January 2008.
Other vehicles have an issue with brake pins. It’s possible the pins may become partially disengaged. If that happens, it can interfere with normal braking functions. The models affected by this issue include the 2008-2010 Titan pickups, Quest minivans and the Armada and Infiniti QX56 SUVs.
Nissan will begin notifying customers this month, and will make the repairs for free.
3/2/10
G-M is recalling 1.3-million cars because of a problem with power steering.
General Motors has received more than 11-hundred complaints on the power steering problem. The issue has been linked to 14 crashes and one injury.
The recall involves the 2005 through 2010 model Chevrolet Cobalt, the 2007 through 2010 Pontiac G5, and one model sold only in Canada and another sold only in Mexico. G-M says customers will be notified when repairs will begin to be made.
2/26/10
Chrysler is recalling more than 350-thousand minivans because of problems with airbags. The recall involves 2005 and 2006 model year Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans.
The recall is not a government-mandated recall, but one Chrysler is calling a “safety improvement campaign.” Chrysler is suggesting owners take the vehicles back to the dealership to have a front airbag sensor replaced. (Page)
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Hyundai Motors is recalling 47-thousand Sonata sedans to replace or repair faulty door latches. Most of the problem vehicles were sold in South Korea, but the automaker says about 13-hundred of them were sold in the U-S. (Page)
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The Girl Scouts are offering to buy back some of your cookies. There have been complaints about the taste and smell of the Lemon Chalet Crème cookies.
Little Brownie Bakers in Louisville, KY, makes the cookies. They say the problem stems from oils in the cookies that appear to be breaking down. There is no health risk associated with eating the cookies, but the Girl Scouts says you can return them for a refund.
2/24/10
The company that makes Health Valley granola bars is recalling some of its bars that could be contaminated with Salmonella. The bars are made with organic toasted soy grits supplied by an outside company, and which may be contaminated with the bacteria.
The recalled bars include Peanut Crunch, Dutch Apple and Wildberry from certain lots. All the codes and SKU numbers are listed on the U-S Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) website. Consumers are being advised to return any unused portions to the store for a full refund.
2/4/10
New worries for Toyota.
The automaker has received more than 100 complaints about brake problems with its green machine, the gas-electric hybrid Prius.
The problem occurs on bumpy or icy roads. A Toyota spokesman explains, "The driver steps on the brake and they do not get as full of a braking feel as expected."
Might the problem be in the software, as some have speculated? Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak reports his Prius has a "software glitch" --but with the accelerator, not the brakes.
The Prius is not among the millions of Toyota vehicles recalled worldwide for possible faulty accelerators, however.
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Today's Chinese recall:
Playmates Toys is recalling children’s jewelry sets made in China.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says high levels of lead were found in the metal connector on a charm sold with Tiny Tink and Friends Children’s Toy Jewelry Sets. The charms with plastic tabs aren’t part of the recall.
Retailers nationwide sold the jewelry sets for between $6 and $8 dollars from November 2008 through November 2009.
Get a replacement part by calling the company’s hotline at 888-810-1133 or visit their website.
2/2/10
Toyota's hoping it solved its problem with those accelerator pads. They've blamed the problem on excess friction in the pedal assembly. It's shipping kits to dealers which will be used to reduce that friction and the sudden acceleration associated with 18 deaths.
Last week the Japanese automaker has recalled 7 million vehicles in the United States and millions more worldwide and the company halted production and sales of eight models, including its top-selling Camry.
Once the kits arrive, dealers will stay open for extended hours if necessary to apply the fix, which should take about 30 minutes per car. All affected motorists should get a letter from Toyota telling them to contact their dealer.
Toyota, which insists there was no cover-up of the problem, is also rolling out an advertising campaign designed to help repair the reputation of what was once one of the most trusted car companies in the world. But the Wall Street Journal says the recalls have already cost the company $1 billion, and the company is set to lose much more "unless the world's biggest car maker acts swiftly to contain the fallout." (Maiman)
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A man trying to return his recalled Toyota pickup truck crashed it into the dealership.
He says it was an accident caused by a faulty accelerator.
There appears to have been a dispute between the owner and the dealer. The owner arrived at the dealership demanding a refund for the vehicle. The dealer said he couldn't refund the money but would fix the accelerator.
Dissatisfied, the vehicle owner tried to leave and crashed into the building, claiming the gas pedal got stuck.
No one was seriously injured.
When asked if he believed the incident was accidental, the dealer had no comment. Police found no evidence the incident was intentional but they're still investigating.
2/1/10
It continues to get worse for Toyota.
First, Toyota blamed floor mats. Then early last week, Toyota said problems with sudden acceleration were the fault of sticking gas pedals, forcing the recall of 2.3 million cars and trucks. On Friday night, the carmaker said there could be as many as 1.8 million cars across Europe with the same defective gas pedals, potentially engulfing Peugeot and Citroen in the safety scare.
But many aren't so sure Toyota is being fully honest by pinning all its sudden-acceleration problems on a pedal. The pedal problem has been blamed for at least 19 deaths since 1999. One expert went as far as to call the recall "a red herring."
The pedal manufacturer has come out to defend itself yesterday, saying drivers have reported sudden-acceleration problems since 1999, and the company didn't even start making pedals for Toyota until the 2005 models.
Of course, the pedal manufacturer is hardly unbiased but there are several other factors that make safety experts question Toyota's decision to blame sticky pedals. The LA Times reviewed federal safety records and found that of all the complaints of sudden acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles, a mere 5 percent blamed a sticking gas pedal. And there have been complaints of sudden acceleration in cars that aren't in the recall. Some have long been saying Toyota's vehicles have hidden electronic problem, which the manufacturer vehemently denies.
Starbucks is recalling more than 12-thousand glass water bottles because of reports of glass stoppers shattering. In some cases, consumers reported cutting their hands on the glass.
Most of the $9-dollar water bottles were sold at Starbucks outlets inside Safeway and Target stores.
There’s a safety issue with some 1.2 million Graco high chairs. The company is recalling nearly 70 models of the Harmony high chair made between November 2003 and December 2009.
Graco says the screws holding the front legs of the high chair can loosen and fall out, causing the high chair to become unstable or tip over unexpectedly. You can get a free repair kit by calling 877-842-3206 or visiting their website.
3/17/10
