It’s only been a little more than three months since hoverboards — a term that should not apply, as no hovering is involved — disappeared from Amazon after the Consumer Product Safety Commission determined that the self-stabilizing scooters were not unsafe unless they met certain standards. Now Segway, the company who tried to start the dorky standing scooter craze with its namesake device, is hoping to be the high-price future of the hoverboard market. [More]
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Mayborn USA Recalling More Than 3M Spill-Proof Cups Because Drinking Mold Is Gross
By 5.27.16
Before you hand that sippy cup over to your toddler, you might want to take a minute to make sure it’s not one of a few million spill-proof vessels being recalled due to risk of mold. We may not know everything about kids here at Consumerist, but we’re willing to bet swallowing mold wouldn’t be a popular experience. [More]
Payless Pulls Light-Up Sneakers After Report Of Pair Catching On Fire
By 5.11.16
If you’re planning to shop for a pair of boys light-up shoes you might want to skip Payless ShoeSource, as the retailer has pulled the footwear while fire officials in Texas investigate a fire that may be linked to the sneakers. [More]
Company Recalling 180K Pacifiers & Clips Due To Choking Hazard
By 5.9.16
As any parent knows, pacifiers have a way of disappearing from the mouths of babies and winding up lost or coated in a fine layer of yuck under the couch. So clips that tether the soothing devices to their users can be very convenient — as long as all the pieces involved in the clip stay where they should. [More]
Recall Roundup, Flammability Edition: Ivanka Trump-Brand Scarves, Givenchy Silk Shirts
By 4.7.16
Things are heating up over at the Consumer Product Safety Commission recently, with a slew of products that are being recalled for being literally hot fashions, due to the unfortunate possibility that they may burst into flames. [More]
Gree Must Pay Record $15.45M CPSC Penalty For Self-Immolating Dehumidifiers
By 3.25.16
This morning at the Consumer Federation of America’s Consumer Assembly in Washington, DC, Consumer Products Safety Commission Chairman Elliot Kaye announced a record civil penalty against Gree Electric Appliances, the manufacturer of millions of particularly flammable dehumidifiers that were recalled in 2013 and 2014. The company has been ordered to pay $15.45 million to the CPSC to settle charges that they failed to report fires to the Commission, “knowingly made misrepresentations to CPSC staff,” and put UL safety marks on products that didn’t meet UL standards. [More]
Maker Of Super-Powerful Desktop Magnets Must Recall Pieces, Provide Refunds
By 3.24.16
Nearly four years after federal regulators dealt a swift blow to the makers of super-powerful desktop magnetic toys Buckyballs, filing a lawsuit against the company and persuading retailers to stop selling the dangerous toys, a Colorado-based company has been ordered to recall similarly powerful magnets that can cause fatal injuries when swallowed. [More]
Underwriters Laboratories Will Start Testing, Certifying Hoverboards For Safety
By 2.3.16
If hoverboard manufacturers are going to slap counterfeit safety marks on their products, Underwriters Laboratories figures it might as well start testing and certifying the scooters, a function it previously did not perform. [More]
Walmart Recalling 330,000 Electric Griddles That May Serve Up A Shock
By 1.13.16
You might shock yourself while cooking by how many ways you can figure out to melt cheese into and onto things, but you shouldn’t actually receive an electrical shock in the process. That’s Walmart’s cue to recall 330,000 electric griddles that could pose a shock hazard to home chefs. [More]
Pier 1 Imports Recalling 276K Swinging Chairs Because Falling Is Not Very Relaxing
By 1.12.16
The idea of swinging furniture is a soothing one: you climb in, set yourself to rocking, and away you go, blissfully swaying on a wave of relaxation. Unless, that is, the chair dumps you unceremoniously on the ground in the middle of your veg-out session. That’s why Pier 1 Imports is calling back 276,000 swinging chairs and stands, which can become unstable and lead to folks falling on their backsides. [More]
Take Your Christmas Tree Down Before It Burns Your $#&^! House Down
By 12.30.15
In the weeks leading up to Dec. 25, you were probably pretty good about keeping your Christmas tree watered, hoping to maintain the lush greenness you paid for. But now that you’re in that post-Yule, pre-New Year’s limbo and just haven’t gotten around to ditching the tree on your neighbor’s curb, you might have forgotten to add water to that doomed tree. If so, you could be risking a disastrous and potentially deadly fire. [More]
CPSC: 129,000 Dishwashers Recalled Over Power Cords That May Burst Into Flames
By 10.2.15
Because washing dishes shouldn’t result in a fiery inferno, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling 129,000 dishwashers in the U.S., after reports that power cords used for multiple brands can overheat and burst into flame. [More]
Madewell Recalls 50,900 Pairs Of Shoes That Could Cause Wearers To Trip And Fall
By 8.21.15
You’re just strolling along, feeling fine and looking good in your new, $60 Madewell sandals when suddenly, you trip and fall. It’s not you — or at least, it might not just be your own personal clumsiness — the J. Crew-owned company says 50,600 pairs of sandals it sold in the U.S. and Canada have a metal shank that can dislodge from the inside of the shoe and break through the bottom of the outsole, posing a fall hazard. [More]
Why Don’t Huge Privacy Flaws Result In Recalled Smartphones?
By 8.18.15
When a car has a major flaw, like a potentially lethal airbag, it gets recalled. Same for a coffeemaker, or a surfboard, or a prescription drug. But when that major flaw is in a product’s software — like a huge exploit that puts literally a billion consumers’ privacy and personal data at risk — there’s no universal process out there for remedying the situation. Do we need one? And if so, how can we get one? [More]
IKEA Recalling 442,000 Nightlights Over Shock Risk
By 8.18.15
Ah, the nightlight: that beam of hope that cuts through the dark and soothed us when we were young and afraid. Or you know, old and also still not cool with complete blackness. In either case, you might want to check if your nightlight is one of the 442,000 IKEA is recalling after a child received a minor electrical shock when handling one. [More]
July Recall Roundup: Of Course Kids Are Going To Chew On Their Strollers
By 7.30.15
In this month’s recall roundup, a stroller wasn’t designed to be chewed on, a fish tank heater might cook your fish instead of keeping them comfortable, and a lawn mower may fling grass clippings at the person operating the vehicle. It’s a dangerous world out there, apparently. [More]
How Recalls Work (And Don’t) And Why They’re All So Different
By 6.8.15
Manufacturers — of all kinds — usually try hard to get it right on the first try. From banana muffins to bicycle helmets, it’s in a company’s best interests to make their products perfect. Not only is it better for their reputation and their business, but it’s less expensive, in the long run, and causes less trouble. Sometimes, though, something just goes wrong. [More]
Feds Investigating Lumber Liquidators Over Formaldehyde Allegations
By 3.25.15
In the wake of a primetime news report alleging that some flooring sold by Lumber Liquidators contained excessive amounts of formaldehyde, federal regulators at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have confirmed the agency is investigation the lumber company. [More]
