Expecting some holiday money? Thinking of rushing out to spend it on a shiny new MacBook Pro? After months of testing, our colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports say, maybe don’t do that just yet. [More]
Quality & Safety
Fiat Chrysler Brands & Vehicles Make Poor Showing In Latest Owner Satisfaction Survey
By 12.22.16
There are dozens of car, truck, SUV, and minivan brands to choose from, but one carmaker is bringing up the rear in the latest owner satisfaction survey from our colleagues at Consumer Reports. [More]
American Airlines Flight Attendants File Grievance Over Itchy New Uniforms
By 12.22.16
Months after American Airlines flight attendants first started complaining that their new uniforms were causing some people to break out in hives and suffer itchy rashes, the union that represents the workers has filed a formal grievance with the airline. [More]
Did Big Pharma Hire Dozens Of DEA Officials To Reduce Scrutiny Of Opioid Painkillers?
By 12.22.16
It’s not uncommon for folks at federal agencies to cash in on their public sector connections by taking a high-paying job with a company they used to regulate. But when it comes to the pharmaceuticals industry’s hiring of dozens of Drug Enforcement Administration officials, the question is whether these former DEA staffers were being hired because of what they could contribute, or because it was better for the industry to get them out of law enforcement. [More]
Tanning Salon Barred From Claiming Indoor Tanning Is Safer Than Sitting In The Sun
By 12.22.16
Because there’s no guarantee that willfully exposing your skin to the sun won’t increase the risk of cancer, whether you’re basking in the rays of a UV lamp or sunning on the beach, a New York tanning salon company has agreed to a settlement that bars it from making misleading health-related claims regarding the harms and benefits of indoor tanning. [More]
Restaurant’s Gravy Blamed For Mystery Illness That Sickened Hundreds On Thanksgiving
By 12.22.16
While public health authorities haven’t conclusively proven which foodborne pathogen made hundreds of people sick after Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant in western New York, they do know which food item made people sick. Gravy was served at a low temperature that allowed Clostridium perfringens bacteria to thrive. [More]
IKEA To Pay $50M To Families Of 3 Toddlers Killed In Dresser Tip-Overs
By 12.22.16
Six months after IKEA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of more than 29 million topple-prone Malm dressers now linked to four deaths, the furniture maker has agreed to pay $50 million to three of the affected families. [More]
Smart Cars Under Investigation After 8 Reports Of Engine Fires
By 12.21.16
There are a lot of things you don’t want to happen to your car, but having it go up in flames for no apparent reason is likely close to the top of the list. Yet, that’s apparently occurred to eight Smart vehicles in the last two years. [More]
After Blaming Ingredient Maker For Customer Stomach Issues, Soylent Could Face Shortages
By 12.21.16
Last month, meal replacement startup Soylent announced that it knew what was making customers sick after consuming its recently released nutrition bars and long-running powder: an algae-based ingredient called algal flour. While that could have been the end of the debacle, it wasn’t: the supplier for that component apparently isn’t too thrilled with having the blame placed on its shoulders, and is now cutting Soylent’s ingredient supply. [More]
7 Injured After NYC Mall Escalator Malfunctions, Causing Chain Reaction
By 12.21.16
Several shoppers in New York City had an unpleasant surprise yesterday when an escalator malfunctioned, tripping up at least one person who fell and caused a chain reaction. Seven people were injured in the accident, officials say. [More]
Volkswagen To Buy Back, Fix 83K 3.0-Liter Vehicles In Second “Dieselgate” Settlement
By 12.20.16
A day after reports surfaced that Volkswagen was in talks with federal regulators to reach a second $1 billion settlement stemming from its “dieselgate” scandal, the Environmental Protection Agency, along with the Department of Justice and state of California, announced a deal in which the carmaker will buy back or fix 83,000 3.0-liter VW, Audi, and Porsche vehicles equipped with so-called “defeat devices” that skirt federal emissions standards. [More]
Uber Admits Its Self-Driving Cars Have A Problem Handling Bike Lanes
By 12.20.16
The rules of the road don’t just cover cars — there are conveyances of the two-wheeled variety out there as well. Considering many human drivers don’t understand how to share the streets with bicycles, it’s somewhat unsurprising that Uber is admitting that its autonomous vehicles are having a hard time dealing with them as well. [More]
Regulators Investigating 1M Dodge Trucks, SUVs Linked To Rollaway Incidents
By 12.20.16
Six months after confusing gear shifters made headlines following the death of Star Trek Actor Anton Yelchin, federal regulators have opened a preliminary investigation into one million Dodge trucks and SUVs with similar shifters after receiving more than 40 complaints the vehicles have rolled away after drivers put them in the “Park” position. [More]
Senator: Regulators Should Investigate E-Cigarette Explosions, Issue Recalls
By 12.19.16
Despite their popularity, e-cigarettes are a “ticking time bomb” that should be more closely investigated by federal regulators and recalled if necessary, according to New York Senator Chuck Schumer. [More]
Pharmacists Will Hand Over Drug Combinations That Could Kill You About Half The Time
By 12.19.16
Most chain pharmacies want you to feel safe ordering from them, and so their ads tout the skill, expertise, and personal touch of their tools and personnel. They promise available pharmacists who have computers who alert them to danger, and who can then tell you things like, “Hey, you shouldn’t take these together; it will kill you” if there’s a problem. [More]
Report: Volkswagen Settlement Over 3-Liter Vehicles Could Add $1B To “Dieselgate” Tab
By 12.19.16
Volkswagen has already agreed to pay $15 billion to settle a large portion of its “dieselgate” scandal, so what’s another $1 billion? That figure could reportedly be added to the carmaker’s tab as part of a settlement concerning so-called “defeat devices” on thousands of 3-liter vehicles not covered by the company’s earlier settlement with federal regulators. [More]
Uber Claims It Doesn’t Need California’s Permission For Self-Driving Cars
By 12.16.16 — Updated: 12.20.16
The public slapfight between Uber and the California Department of Motor Vehicles continued on Friday afternoon, with the ridesharing service declaring that it’s new self-driving cars don’t need a special permit to operate in San Francisco. [More]
Fruit Salad, Potato Chips, Crepe Mix Added To Recall List For Salmonella-Tainted Milk Powder
By 12.16.16 — Updated: 12.28.16
When a common food ingredient like flour or black pepper might be contaminated with a pathogen that can make people sick, it gives us extra insight into how complex and intertwined the modern food production system is. For example, thanks to the Great Powdered Milk Recall of 2016, we’re learning how many different kinds of products use the same product from the same potentially salmonella-contaminated source. [More]
