Legal troubles for Toyota continues, as a group of seven insurance companies has filed suit against the car maker, looking to recover money they paid out to policyholders involved in crashes allegedly caused by sudden unintended acceleration. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
The House That Recall Built: Welcome To America's Most Dangerous Home!
By 12.31.10
Oh, hey there. I didn’t see you as I was just watching this improperly audio-synced Saving Private Ryan Blu-Ray on my overheating Vaio laptop. Welcome to our home, a top-to-bottom shining example of danger, stocked to the brim with 2010’s most infamous recalled products! Let’s take a little tour, shall we? [More]
Getting To Know You: All About The New Friends We Made In 2010
By 12.31.10
Behind every buzzworthy headline of the past year has been someone in charge, someone to blame, or just someone to laugh at and talk about. From the debacle of Toyota’s millions of recalled automobiles, to a fed-up flight attendant with a flair for drama, we’ve become familiar with a few new faces in 2010, for better or for worse. [More]
BP Dumps Huge Oil Slick On Bank Of America To Earn Title Of 2010's Biggest Business Debacle
By 12.30.10
In what will probably come as a surprise to no one, Consumerist readers have overwhelmingly selected the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as the biggest business debacle of 2010. [More]
Vote Now For The Biggest Business Debacle Of 2010
By 12.29.10
We asked for your input in nominating the biggest business screw-ups of the year and you responded. Now is your chance to vote for a loser from the final five nominees. [More]
Electric Cars Will Have To Tell You They're Coming
By 12.22.10
“Meep! Meep!” Quiet electric and hybrid cars will be forced to do something like that to alert pedestrians they’re coming under a new act passed by Congress. [More]
You Care About Recalls, But Can't Find Out About Them
By 12.16.10
According to a new poll by our careful cousins at Consumer Reports, most Americans are concerned about product recalls, but don’t believe they’re getting enough information about them. Only 13% said they were very confident that they were getting enough information about recalls from manufacturers and retailers. And just 8% were very confident that the government was getting enough information from those companies. [More]
Government Bans Drop-Side Rail Cribs
By 12.15.10
In order to prevent kids from dying, the government has issued a ban on selling or making traditional drop-side cribs. If the gate or slate on the side of the crib gets loose, a baby can fall in there and get trapped, eventually hanging themselves to death. [More]
CPSC Says Lead Wizard Of Oz Glasses "Are Not Children's Products"
By 12.13.10
A recent study commissioned by the AP showed that dozens of decorative glasses featuring superheros (like Wonder Woman and Superman) and movie characters (like the cast of Wizard of Oz), have “up to 1,000 times more” lead than is currently allowed for children’s products. The AP asked the CPSC to issue a recall. The CPSC’s response? The glasses are not children’s products. [More]
Latest Rolaids Recall Gives Johnson & Johnson Heartburn
By 12.10.10
Two weeks after recalling some cherry flavored Rolaids softchews for “uncharacteristic consistency or texture,” Johnson & Johnson’s beleaguered McNeil Laboratories division has issued a slightly larger Rolaids recall. And by “slightly,” we mean all lots of Rolaids Extra Strength Softchews, Extra Strength plus Gas Softchews, and Multi-Symptom plus Anti-Gas Softchews. [More]
GM Wants To Be Able To Pay Executives More Money
By 12.10.10
General Motors Co. Chief Executive Daniel Akerson says he’d like a little more leeway on executive compensation from the Obama administration because the company is having trouble attracting quality executives. [More]
Target Recalls Camping Combo Packs Because Kids Are Not Meant To Be Roasted On The Campfire
By 12.8.10
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall of a kid’s camping kit sold at Target over a potential fire hazard. [More]
USDA Recalls 72,000 lbs Of Canned Chicken Salad
By 12.6.10
Time to find something else to eat for lunch. Packs of Bumble Bee Chicken Salads were recalled today as some of them may be “contaminated with pieces of hard plastic.” [More]
Lowe's Recalls 11 Million Roman Shades & Roll-Up Blinds
By 12.2.10
Roman shades and roll-up blinds have become the drop-side cribs of the home decor world. They’re a known risk and there have been industry-wide recalls, and yet they continue to be made (shoddily) and sold… only to be recalled. This time, it’s Lowe’s Home Centers recalling just about every Roman shade and roll-up blind it’s sold since 1999. [More]
The Johnson & Johnson Recall Wheel Lands On Mylanta
By 12.1.10
Because it has apparently already recalled every possible product made by its McNeil Labs division, Johnson & Johnson has moved over to its Merck products for its latest recall. This time, J&J has issued a recall on 12 Mylanta liquid products and one Alternagel product for trace amounts of alcohol that weren’t properly labeled on the packaging. [More]
Government May Use Tech To Stop Cell Phone Use In Cars
By 12.1.10
People are so insistent on driving while using their cell phones that only death in a car accident will stop them from doing so. Spurred by the prevalence of fatal accidents caused by distracted drivers — 5,500 last year — the government is mulling over the concept of using technology to force drivers to put down their phones. [More]
This Used Car Ad Is Totally Tubular
By 12.1.10
Madison Ave, take some copywriting lessons from this radical used car ad: “Looking for a car with a sweet tape deck and a radio with five pre-sets? A car that needs new brakes and maybe some action under the hood?…Than this is the car for you! [sic]” [More]
650,000 Prius Hybrids Need Water Pumps Fixed
By 11.30.10
Toyota is going to pay to fix the water pumps on 2004-2007 Prius hybrids starting in December. The pumps can glitch, causing the car to overheat and lose power. [More]
