While flames have long kept humans warm during cold weather, fire is not the intended output of a Kenmore heat fan. That’s why Sears and Kmart have recalled 43,000 of the fans and will be issuing refunds to customers who bought them. [More]
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Buckyballs Founder Could Be Found Personally Liable For $57 Million In Refunds
By 1.6.14
Buckyballs: cute office toy, or powerful balls of magnetic doom? The inventor insists they’re the former, the Consumer Product Safety Commission insists they’re the latter, and the lawsuit fighting it all out just keeps getting uglier. [More]
Google Officially Recalls Super-Hot HP Chromebook 11 Chargers
December 17, 2013
A month after Google pulled its then-new HP Chromebook 11 laptops because the micro-USB charger included with the device can reach unsafe temperatures (as high as 140 degrees), the company and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have issued a formal recall. If you have an affected Chromebook 11, just fill out this form here to get a replacement charger. [More]
Chromebook 11 Charger Measured At A Toasty 140 Degrees
By 12.12.13
You probably didn’t need more proof that you should stop using the charger that came with your Chromebook 11 from HP. First we heard reports from Consumerist’s own editorial offices, then Google itself told customers to quit using the charger. Now Consumer Reports happens to be testing Chromebooks, and measured the surface temperature of the charger: 140 degrees. [More]
Walmart To Pay Out $25 Million Over Exploding Gas Cans
By 12.9.13
Even though Walmart does not manufacture plastic gasoline cans, it does sell more of the cans than any other retailer in the country and it has been named as a defendant in dozens of lawsuits regarding exploding cans. And so the retail giant has reportedly agreed to fork over $25 million to cover its portion of a $161 million settlement that would close the book on a number of unresolved claims. [More]
Google: Stop Using That Charger That Comes With Your New HP Chromebook 11
By 11.13.13
One of the selling points of the recently released HP Chromebook 11 was that the laptop could be charged using the same micro-USB chargers used for many non-Apple mobile devices. Alas, the chargers supplied with these new Chromebooks can get super-hot (something I can attest to first-hand) so Google and HP from temporarily pulled the computer for sale and told current HP Chromebook 11 owners to use any other UL-approved micro-USB charger to power up their laptops while the companies sort out a resolution with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. [via GigaOm and The Verge] [More]
Snoopy Sno-Cone Machines Recalled Because “Brass Rivet” Is Not A Very Tasty Flavor
By 11.1.13
LaRose Industries, the company that made the Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine that your kid used once and is now sitting in a closet somewhere, has recalled the gadget over concerns that a brass rivet in the machine might fall into a shaved-ice treat. [More]
Court To Hear Arguments In Case That Could Allow Companies To Litigate In Secret
By 10.30.13
Companies don’t ever want the public to know they’re involved in lawsuits. This is one of the many reasons that a growing number of businesses now force consumers to agree to mandatory arbitration for resolving disputes; it keeps the fight out of the public eye and often doesn’t allow for multiple consumers to join their complaints. Tomorrow, a federal appeals court will hear arguments regarding a case that ultimately could give companies the ability to litigate cases under a veil of secrecy. [More]
Crate And Barrel Recalls 19K Hanging Lamps Because No One Wants Fire To Rain From Above
By 10.24.13
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a Crate and Barrel recall of 19,000 of its hanging lamps. The thing is, it’s great to have light shining down on whatever you’re doing but it’s not so nice when that light is coming from a fiery light fixture hanging above you. [More]
Is Anything Being Done To Prevent Exploding E-Cigarettes?
By 10.3.13
While concerns about health effects and youth-targeted marketing have the attorneys general of 37 states asking the FDA to regulate e-cigarettes much like the agency regulates the sale of tobacco, there are numerous reports of the devices “exploding” or catching fire, which can be significantly more dangerous than simply inhaling nicotine. [More]
Build-A-Bear Recalls Sulley Stuffed Monster Because Plastic Eyes Are Not A Tasty Treat
By 8.30.13
In the pixar movies Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University, the character of Sulley is supposed to be terrifying to children. In real life, the stuffed toy version of Sulley from Build-A-Bear apparently poses enough of a choking hazard to children that it’s been recalled in the U.S. and Canada. [More]
Costco Finally Stops Selling Yummy-Looking Detergent Pods In Clear Candy Jars
By 8.27.13
Several weeks ago, we told you about Costco’s questionable choice of putting its poisonous laundry detergent pods in a clear plastic container that looks an awful lot like the plastic jars it uses for things like animal crackers, nuts, and candies, especially in light of the numerous instances of young children licking, eating, or playing with these toxic toys. Now it looks like the wholesaler has come to its senses. [More]
IKEA Recalls Two Junior Beds Because Lacerations Don’t Make For A Good Night’s Rest
August 16, 2013
Did you buy your kids a Kritter or Sniglar bed from IKEA at some point in the last eight years, then you’ll want to check out this announcement from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, as 40,000 of these beds have been recalled in the U.S. and Canada over concerns that a metal rod in the bed frame could break and result in lacerations. Affected consumers can get a free repair kit from IKEA. [via CPSC.gov] [More]
Costco’s Animal Crackers Container Is More Secure Than The Store’s Poisonous Detergent Pods
By 8.6.13
From the moment that Tide and others unleashed brightly colored, shiny, borderline adorable detergent pods on consumers, little kids have been licking, eating, and playing with them, which is a bad thing. And while some manufacturers have already begun shifting away from easy-open clear packaging, Costco puts its Kirkland Signature pods in a container that looks remarkably like the packaging it uses for food products and is easier to open. [More]
No, The Consumer Products Safety Commission Does Not Have A SWAT Team
By 7.24.13
An important correction in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week: “The Consumer Products Safety Commission does not have a SWAT team. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that it does.” So that’s good. Or maybe sort of disappointing. The context was an excerpt from an upcoming book about the recent trend of unlikely government agencies using Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams. Like the Department of Education, or NASA. [Wall Street Journal] (Thanks, Greg!) [More]
Can I Legally Light Off Fireworks In My State? What About Sparklers?
By 7.2.13
Though some of you will mark the July 4th holiday by illegally tossing cherry bombs off your roof, we know that most of you want to do things the safe and legal way. Of course, the particulars of what you’re allowed to set off depends a lot on where you live. [More]
June Recall Roundup: Not Even Buff Baby Can Save Us Now
By 6.28.13 — Updated: 12.18.13
In this month’s recall roundup, we bring you a chicken dance that will hurt your ears, buff babies, toppling bath seats, and machetes so sharp that they slice through their own sheaths. [More]
Warning: Kids Might Eat Expanding Polymer Balls That Look Like Candy
By 4.3.13
Here’s the thing: if you make something that’s brightly colored and looks like candy, kids are going to eat it. Water Balz and other similar expanding, water-absorbing polymer toys seem pretty fun, and are also bright and shiny and look like candy. The problem comes when a pet or a child who is too young to understand gets hold of one of these delicious treats and eats it. [More]
