Consumers worried that they may be driving around with what some have likened to an explosive device in their steering wheel and dashboard can breathe a small sigh of relief, as federal regulators say all 33.8 million vehicles equipped with potential shrapnel-shooting Takata airbags have been identified. [More]
recalls
Acuras Recalled Because They Auto-Brake For Imaginary Obstacles
By 6.11.15
Automatic braking is a feature available that car manufacturers offer on their higher-end models as part of feature and safety packages. The idea is simple: if your car recognizes that there’s something in front of it, it stops. Except for some model year 2014 and 2015 Acura SUVs and sedans: there have been documented cases where they stop when there is no obstacle in front of the cars. [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]
Mazda Adds 540,000 Vehicles To Takata Airbag Recall List
By 6.5.15
The roster of vehicles recalled for Takata-produced airbags found to spew pieces of shrapnel with enough force to injure or kill occupants continues to grow. This time, the list increased by nearly 540,000 Mazda automobiles. [More]
Apple Recalls Beats Pill XL Speakers Due To Fire Hazard
By 6.3.15
When you spend a few hundred dollars on a portable speaker, you probably assume that you’re buying a quality piece of electronics that will sound nice and not overheat and catch fire when it’s not supposed to. That is not the case for the Beats Pill XL, a signature product for the headphone company, which is now part of Apple. [More]
June Recall Roundup: Melting Mason Jars And Phantom Ovens
By 6.3.15
In this month’s Recall Roundup for consumer goods, a laptop battery recall expands, mason jar night lights melt, and a friendly toy policeman is not as friendly as he initially appears to be. [More]
BMW, Honda & Fiat Chrysler Identify Some Additional Vehicles Affected By Expanded Takata Recall
By 5.28.15
Automakers began identifying which of their models are affected by the recently expanded Takata airbag recall Thursday, with Fiat Chrysler, BMW and Honda adding hundreds of thousands of vehicles to their already overflowing roster of cars in need of replacement safety devices. [More]
Could Takata’s Replacement Airbags Be Just As Dangerous?
By 5.27.15
Generally when consumers take their vehicles to a dealer for a recall remedy, they leave with the peace of mind that the potential safety issue has been fixed. That may not end up being the case for more than 34 million recently recalled vehicles equipped with Takata airbags, as the parts manufacturer, automakers and federal regulators struggle to determine why the safety devices have the tendency to spew pieces of shrapnel upon deployment. [More]
GM Could Face Criminal Charges Over Ignition Defect That Killed More Than 100
By 5.26.15
General Motors might be able to wriggle out of class action fraud lawsuits over the long-ignored ignition defect in multiple vehicles that ultimately killed more than 100 people, but the company could still face criminal charges from federal prosecutors. [More]
34 Million Takata Airbags Declared Defective, More Recalls To Come
By 5.19.15
After months of resisting federal regulators’ push for a national recall of vehicles containing defective Takata-produced airbags that could spew shrapnel when deployed, the Japanese auto parts maker announced today that it has declared an estimated 34 million vehicles defective because of the potentially deadly safety devices. The declaration is the first step in what will likely be the county’s largest recall of a consumer product. [More]
Toyota, Nissan Add 6.5 Million Vehicles To Takata Airbag Recall; Honda Expected To Follow Suit
By 5.13.15
Just when you think carmakers have recalled the last of the vehicles equipped with Takata airbags that could spew shrapnel when deployed, more cars are added to that list. Today, Toyota and Nissan expanded their already massive recalls to include an additional 6.5 million vehicles, while Honda has plans to do the same. [More]
La-Z-Boy Recalls 2,600 Recliners Because The Goal Is To Lean Back, Not Tip Forward
By 5.12.15
Along with the ease and comfort of a lazing person implied in the La-Z-Boy name comes the expectation that such relaxation will come in the form of reclining backward, and not tipping forward out of one’s seat. That’s why the company is recalling 2,600 recliners after reports from some dealers of tippy furniture that could cause someone to fall and potentially get hurt. [More]
NHTSA Investigating Chrysler Recall Remedy After Reports That Sun Visors Continue To Catch Fire
By 5.6.15
When a consumer takes their recalled vehicle to a dealer for repairs, they probably assume they won’t have the same issue with the car in the future. But that apparently hasn’t been the case when it comes to several Jeep and Dodge SUVs recalled last summer, and now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is probing the effectiveness of the recall remedy. [More]
IKEA Expands Crib Mattress Recall To Include Five Additional Styles
By 5.1.15
All recalls are important to take note of, but ones related to baby products are often of the greatest concern. And IKEA’s expansion of a six-month old recall to include an additional 150,000 crib mattresses because of the risk of entrapment would fall into that category. [More]
Recalled Jeni’s Ice Cream Will Become Fertilizer, Provide Electricity
By 4.28.15
Food that’s recalled because it can be potentially dangerous to the public doesn’t have to go to waste. Jeni’s has to dispose of 535,000 pounds of ice cream, but they aren’t just tossing it all in a landfill. The Columbus Dispatch reports that the potentially listeria-contaminated desserts will instead go into an anaerobic digester, which provides electricity while it digests and produces fertilizer. [Columbus Dispatch] [More]
Trek Recalls 998,000 Bikes Over Brake Issue That Left One Rider Paralyzed
By 4.22.15
Trek is recalling almost one million bikes in the United States and Canada after an issue with a quick-release lever on the bike’s front wheel hub left one rider permanently paralyzed. [More]
59,203 Pounds Of Trader Joe’s And Al Fresco Chicken Sausage May Be Seasoned With Plastic Shards
By 4.21.15
A good chicken sausage is a nice mix of meat, seasonings, and the occasional vegetable in a casing. What is not supposed to be part of that blend of ingredients are shards of plastic, which are harmful to your teeth and don’t taste very good. Sausage sold under the Trader Joe’s house brand and the Al Fresco brand been recalled because it may have that problem. [More]
Blue Bell Creameries Recalls All Products After More Ice Cream Samples Test Positive For Listeria
By 4.21.15
It has not been a great couple of weeks for Blue Bell Creameries, and it’s just gotten worse: A month after the company issued a recall of certain ice cream treats believed to be linked to an outbreak of listeriosis — a recall that kept expanding — the company is now pulling all products off the shelves after two more ice cream samples tested positive for listeria. [More]
