Following a slew of recalls that seemed to have pulled just about every Tylenol product from store shelves, three Johnson & Johnson plants responsible for the recalled goods are being put under the supervision of the FDA. [More]
Quality & Safety
FAA Orders O2 Masks Removed From Airplane Bathrooms
By 3.11.11
Airlines are removing the emergency oxygen generators from airplane bathrooms by order of FAA directive, reports KPRC. The concern is that someone could go in there, rip the supply out, and rig it into an explosive device. [More]
159,000 Air Pump Bottle Openers Sold On QVC Recalled For Breaking Bottles
By 3.10.11
Getting the cork out of a wine bottle can often be a risky proposition, especially if you’re wearing white. But for some owners of the skybar Air Pump Wine Opener, it could be a downright bloody disaster. [More]
BP's CEO Is Super Sorry About That Oil Spill
By 3.9.11
BP Chief Executive Robert Dudley inherited quite a bit of a mess from former CEO Tony Hayward, he of the loose lips, in the the form of last year’s terrible oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But Dudley wants everyone to know that he’s totally sorry. [More]
Transportation Secretary LaHood Answers Reader Questions
By 3.7.11
Later today, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will be answering questions at the Consumers Union offices, where he’ll also be speaking on the topic of “Distracted Driving Shatters Lives: Helping Parents and Educators Reach Teens.” You can watch that event live on the Consumer Reports Facebook page (click the “Live” tab) at 11:00 a.m. ET. Meanwhile, Secretary LaHood accepted Consumerist’s request to answer a few reader-submitted questions. [More]
Some Skippy Peanut Butter Recalled Over Possible Salmonella Contamination
By 3.7.11
The folks at Unilever, with a little help from the FDA, have announced a recall of certain jars of Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread, because these products may be contaminated with everyone’s favorite pathogen, Salmonella. [More]
Coke Pulls Some Products From Shelves For "Off Taste"
By 3.4.11
Some retailers in the St. Louis area are being asked to pull a variety of Coca-Cola products off the shelves because of a “slight off taste.” [More]
Mazda Recalls 65,000 Cars… Over Spider Webs
By 3.3.11
We’ve heard of bananas in the tailpipe and sugar in the gas tank, but “spiders in the evaporative canister vent line” is a new one for us. And yet, it’s the reason Mazda is recalling 65,000 Mazda6 cars in North America. [More]
Chrysler Recalls 250,000 Vehicles For Engine Stalling Issues
By 3.3.11
Proving that American car companies can make recall-worthy vehicles just as well as anyone else, Chrysler has announced a recall on a total of 250,000 vehicles from its Dodge Caravan, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country lines because the engine could stall out unexpectedly. [More]
Wellness Recalls Canned Cat Food For Low Thiamine Levels
By 3.3.11
Wellness is a higher-end brand of dog and cat food that’s now even carried at Petsmart. After discovering that some flavors didn’t contain enough thiamine (Vitamin B1), an absolutely essential nutrient for cats, the company announced a voluntary recall of all canned cat food manufactured between certain dates. [More]
Submit Your Questions For Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood!
By 3.2.11
Hey, Consumerist readers, we got an opportunity to ask United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood 3-5 reader submitted questions in connection with “Distracted Driving Shatters Lives: Helping Parents and Educators Reach Teens,” a Consumers Union event taking place at our headquarters Monday, March 7, 2011, from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET. Please ask about any transportation-related issue that interests you! [More]
Did You Know Doctors Are Prescribing Non-FDA-Approved Drugs? They Didn't Either.
By 3.2.11
Awhile back the FDA cracked down on OTC cold medicines that were potentially harmful to children under 2. As part of that effort, the agency has now “ordered the removal from the market of more than 500 prescription drugs used to treat colds, coughs and allergies because the medications had never gone through a federal review of their safety and effectiveness,” says the NYT Prescriptions Blog. [More]
GameStop's New Preorder Bonus: Dead Roaches
By 3.1.11
Here’s a horrible Gamestop shopping experience that we never would have expected: a customer bought a few inexpensive used games, got them home, and discovered that they were terribly buggy. And by “buggy,” we mean “the cases were filled with dead roaches and roach eggs.” [More]
Craigslist Says "Cesspool" Study Is "False And Defamatory"
By 2.25.11
A new study calls Craigslist a “cesspool” of crime — a study that Craiglist says was paid for by the competition and which it calls “false and defamatory.” [More]
Pier 1 Recalls 400,000 Candles… For Fire Hazard
By 2.24.11
Pier 1 Imports has announced the recall of 400,000 tea lights because the flame on the candle can burn too high and pose a fire hazard. [More]
Recalled Windstar Not Worth Fixing, Ford Wants To Buy It
By 2.24.11
Eric owns an elderly (model year 1999) Ford Windstar, and isn’t particularly interested in trading it in for a new car for financial reasons. Ford recently recalled hundreds of thousands of older Windstars, and Eric dutifully brought his car in for repair. Instead of a freshly safe car, he received an offer of $3,700 for his van. If he wanted to keep the van, he would need to sign a document absolving ford of any liability if anything goes wrong with the car. What would you do? [More]
Toyota Recalls 2.17 Million Cars, NHTSA Closes Investigation
By 2.24.11
At the request of regulators, Toyota is recalling an additional 2.17 million cars dating back to 2003 to deal with concerns over stuck gas pedals that could lead to out-of-control acceleration. And with that, it looks like NHTSA, the National Highway Transportation Administration, has shut the books on the unintended acceleration issue. [More]
Science Says Your Cell Phone Makes Your Brain Cells More Active
By 2.23.11
It stands to reason that those little bundles of electromagnetic radiation we call cell phones affect the body somehow, and researchers have confirmed they mess with our brains. [More]
