Because apparently every model of car made by General Motors in the last decade has something wrong with it, GM has announced another round of recalls. This time, it’s four separate recalls totaling 2.42 million vehicles in the U.S. [More]
Quality & Safety
New GM Ad: Our Cars Are No Longer “Grenade-Like” Death Traps
By 5.19.14
In the midst of a reputation-damaging string of recalls now totaling more than 11 million vehicles, General Motors is in need of an image shake-up. But the carmaker may be getting a little too honest in a new TV commercial. [More]
Kraft Recalls 1.3 Million Cases Of Cottage Cheese Due To Possible Early Disgustingness
By 5.19.14
Do you love cottage cheese? You may not love what happens to 1.3 million cases of Kraft cottage cheese that the company has recalled because they’re at an increased risk of spoilage. Affected brands include Knudsen, Breakstone’s, Simply Kraft, and Daily Chef. [More]
Video: Here’s How Easy It Is To Turn Off (And How Hard It Is To Steer) A Recalled Chevy Cobalt
By 5.16.14
Earlier today, General Motors was hit with a $35 million penalty for its decade-plus delay in recalling millions of vehicles with defective ignition switches that could be inadvertently turned off, leaving the car without power steering and braking and deactivating the air bags. GM has repeatedly stated that these cars are safe to drive because an accidentally turned-off vehicle could still be steered to safety. But is that true? [More]
Novartis Continues To Market Antibiotic As A Way To Fatten Up Pigs
By 5.16.14
Last December, after decades of ignoring the issue of the non-medical use antibiotics in farm animals, the FDA finally released industry-friendly guidance on the topic, politely asking drug companies to stop selling their antibiotics to farmers for anything other than disease treatment and prevention. And yet the folks at Swiss drug giant Novartis continue to push one of their antibiotics as a way for pig farmers to make bigger pigs. [More]
Detergent Pod User? We Want To Hear From You
By 5.16.14
Do you use detergent pods, the single-serve laundry sensation that small children can’t stop cramming in their mouths? If so, our freshly-laundered colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports would like some feedback from you on the products, especially if you have small children living with you. Click here to take their brief questionnaire on the subject. [More]
Researchers Say “Best Before” Dates Result In Massive Amounts Of Wasted Food
By 5.16.14
If you’re a regular reader of Consumerist, you’re likely aware that there’s a big difference between a “use by” and a “best before” date; the former is a sign that the food may be unsafe to eat after a certain date (though even that’s not always true) while the latter is an indicator that the item might not taste its best after that date, but is still safe to eat. However, many people don’t understand this distinction — and tons of food is wasted every year as a result. [More]
May Recall Roundup – Watch Out For The Jerky Blaster
By 5.15.14
“What on earth is a jerky blaster?” you may be asking. It’s a product sold by outdoor outfitter Cabela’s that lets you make your own jerky sticks at home, and it functions sort of like a caulk gun for meat. It’s been recalled because its charger might overheat, and so have a lot of other things. [More]
Ford Recalls 692K Ford Escape & C-MAX Vehicles Because Airbags Are Supposed To Deploy
By 5.9.14
A software glitch in some of Ford’s Escape SUV and C-MAX vehicles may prevent airbags from deploying immediately, so the carmaker has recalled a total of 692,500 vehicles to fix this potentially deadly problem. [More]
Baby-Carrier Maker Is ‘Company Doe,’ Tried To Litigate In Secret To Save Reputation
By 5.8.14
For the past couple of years, we’ve been telling you about “Company Doe,” a manufacturer of some kind who had successfully convinced a federal court to allow it to sue the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in secret, keeping its name and all relevant details of the case shielded behind black boxes of redacted text. Last month, an appeals court recognized how ridiculous this idea was and ordered that Company Doe be unmasked. And yesterday it was finally revealed to be Ergobaby, the company behind Orbit baby carriers. [More]
The Secret To These “African Black Ant” Pills Isn’t Black Ants, It’s Viagra
By 5.6.14
There’s a reason that, after centuries of homemade potency potions that fell flat, the world went crazy for drugs like Viagra (sildenafil) and Cialis (tadalafil). It’s because they apparently work. So it’s no surprise that companies may be trying to mix these prescription drugs into their “dietary supplements” and hope that no one actually tests them. [More]
FDA Says Taking Aspirin Daily Won’t Help Patients With No History Of Heart Attacks
By 5.6.14
If you were thinking of popping a few aspirin today in hopes that it might prevent a future heart attack, you might want to reconsider that plan. Consumers without a history of heart attacks or strokes could be putting themselves in greater danger by swallowing the pill the Food and Drug Administration says. [More]
Give Your Gas Grill A Checkup Before Summer Begins
By 5.6.14 — Updated: 5.2.17
Around my suburban neighborhood, the smell of grilled meat is beginning to waft from backyards. Here in the Northeast, we pack our grills away for the off-season. Now that it’s May, we’re fairly certain that it’s not going to snow anymore, so most people are bringing their grills out of hibernation. How can you make sure that yours is in safe working condition for meat season? [More]
Recalled Kenmore Washer Tears Family’s Clothes Apart, Sears Wouldn’t Replace It
By 5.2.14
$1,700 is a reasonable price for a nice Kenmore washer-dryer set that cleans and dries your family’s clothes. It is not a reasonable price for an automated Kenmore nightmare machine that rips your family’s clothing apart while washing them. Yet that was the ordeal of one family living near Sacramento, California whose washer still didn’t work after eight repairs. Eight. [More]
GM Asks Plaintiffs To Pretty Please Hold Off On Ignition-Related Lawsuits
By 5.1.14
General Motors has already asked a federal bankruptcy court to put an end to the spate of recently filed lawsuits related to an ignition defect that has resulted in the deaths of at least 13 people, but the carmaker is now asking the plaintiffs in those suits to voluntarily back off. [More]
GE And Midea Recall Fire-Prone Dehumidifiers Sold At Walmart
By 4.30.14
Were you relieved to learn that your GE-branded dehumidifier wasn’t part of the massive recall of fire-prone units made by Gree Electrics? Yeah, about that. You’re going to have to check that model number again, because 15,000 dehumidifiers from a different manufacturer have been recalled because they might overheat and cause fires, too. [More]
Food Poisoning Suspected After More Than 100 People Fall Ill During Food Safety Summit
By 4.30.14
While some of our nation’s brightest food minds were gathered at a Food Safety Summit in Maryland earlier this month, the very thing they came together to discuss seems to have wreaked havoc on more than 100 people attending. In what can only be a prank from the food gods, it appears food poisoning is one of the suspected culprits, officials say. [More]
April Recall Roundup – Look Out For Unexpected Crossbows
By 4.29.14
In this month’s Recall Roundup, a lawnmower keeps going even after its operator has dismounted, computer batteries overheat, fireplaces explode, and a self-destructing goldfish bowl is no place for fish. (Actually, a goldfish bowl is no place for a goldfish: take the $20 you get back and put it toward an aquarium.) [More]
