Reminder: If you didn’t call that cab or order that Uber ride, it’s not always safe to just hop in the car and hope to get to your destination. Police in Texas have identified a suspect in connection to an odd incident early last Sunday morning, where two female college students reported that a man pretending to be an Uber driver offered them a ride, saying his fare didn’t show up. [More]
safety
Regulators Holding Yet Another Takata Airbag Meeting, Could Finally Coordinate The Messy Recall
By 9.9.15
Back in June, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was considering options to speed up replacement of defective shrapnel-shooting Takata-produced airbags linked to eight deaths and hundreds of injuries. Today, the agency announced it will hold yet another public meeting next month, a move that signals the agency’s latest step in taking control of the massive recall effort. [More]
IKEA Recalls SPELEVINK Crib Mattresses For A Second Time: Now It’s Flammability
By 9.8.15
If you happen to own IKEA’s VYSSA SPELEVINK crib mattress, that means you’ve already missed two recalls of your kid’s mattress. Those were for potential entrapment: it was possible for the mattress to shift so that a child could become trapped between the mattress and crib frame. Now the Consumer Products Safety Commission reports another risk of this product: flammability. [More]
Proposed Keyless Ignition Alert Rule May Have Prevented Carbon Monoxide Deaths
By 9.8.15
A recently filed lawsuit alleges that 10 automakers concealed the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in more than five million vehicles with keyless ignitions, resulting in 13 deaths. Meanwhile, a federal regulator’s four-year-old proposal for an alert that could have saved some lives continues to go unimplemented. [More]
New Policy Means AutoNation Won’t Sell Vehicles With Open Safety Recalls
By 9.8.15
Although there is no specific federal law prohibiting used car dealers to sell recalled vehicles, nearly a year ago AutoNation – one of the nation’s largest pre-owned vehicle dealers – suspended the sale of cars with potentially deadly Takata airbag defects. Now, the company plans to take things a bit further, announcing it will no longer sell any vehicle that has an open safety recall. [More]
Emergency Responders Smash Car’s Window After Report Of Baby Locked Inside, End Up Rescuing Lifelike Doll
By 9.1.15
If you’re in the habit of leaving eerily lifelike baby dolls strapped into a car seat while you’re out and about, you might want to reconsider, unless, of course, you like having your car’s windows smashed open: police in Oakland, Calif. say emergency responders busted the window of a vehicle after passersby reported a baby locked inside, only to find it was a very human looking doll that’d been placed in a rear-facing car seat, just like a living child would be. [More]
Allegiant Airlines Plans To Inspect All Planes After Yet Another Flight Disturbance
By 8.27.15
Last month, federal regulators announced they had stepped up scrutiny of budget carrier Allegiant Airlines after a string of in-flight disturbances and accusations from a pilot’s union of poor safety standards. Now, after yet another issue, the airline says it plans to inspect its entire fleet. [More]
Bread Recalled Because Broken Light Bulb Is Not Supposed To Be An Ingredient
By 8.27.15
When crafting a tasty sandwich for lunch, the one ingredient you don’t want to forget is a broken light bulb. Wait, what? Shards of light bulb certainly don’t belong in our digestive systems, that’s why Bimbo Bakeries has issued a recall of several types of bread. [More]
Tests Find Drug-Resistant Bacteria In 18% Of Conventionally Raised Ground Beef
August 24, 2015
Bacteria is everywhere, so it’s no surprise that you’ll find at least some ugly little pathogens in any meat products you buy. Most of these bugs won’t survive the cooking process, especially if you get that meat up to 160 degrees before serving. But since so many people like their burgers on the rarer side, it’s smart to know the potential risks. [More]
Reminder: A Balcony Is Not A Safe Place To Use Your Barbecue Smoker
By 8.21.15
The residents of a New Jersey home learned an important safety lesson about outdoor cooking recently, albeit in a very unfortunate way: police say a house caught on fire after someone used a barbecue smoker on a balcony. [More]
Senators Call For Recall Of All Vehicles With Takata Airbags
By 8.20.15
Because it could take some time for federal investigators to determine the cause of a ruptured Takata airbag in a Volkswagen — a carmaker that hadn’t been part of any earlier exploding, shrapnel-shooting airbag recalls — some lawmakers are calling for a recall of all vehicles equipped with airbags made by Takata. [More]
FDA: We Think The Secret Ingredient In Your “Herbal Viagra” Is Actual Viagra
By 8.12.15
Here’s some news that apparently comes as a surprise to many consumers: it is not a good idea to buy pills marketed as “natural” aphrodisiacs or “herbal Viagra.” While the famed erectile dysfunction treatment won’t be available as a generic medication for a few years yet in the United States, that doesn’t stop companies from making analogues to it and selling it as “natural” supplements. [More]
Jeep Cherokee Owners File Lawsuit Against Fiat Chrysler, Harman After Hackers Wirelessly Hijack Vehicle
By 8.5.15
It was inevitable: A few weeks after hackers showed that a Jeep Cherokee could be hijacked remotely, three car owners have filed a lawsuit seeking class-action status against Fiat Chrylser Automobiles and Harman International, the maker of the Uconnect onboard infotainment system. [More]
At Least 124 People Died Because Of General Motors Ignition Defect
By 8.4.15
One year after General Motors’ victim compensation fund began accepting death and injury claims related to its massive ignition switch issue and six months after the submission deadline, the carmaker announced it had completed its review. Now, instead of acknowledging just 13 deaths tied to the deadly defect, the car manufacture is admitting that 124 deaths – nearly 10 times the original tally – resulted from its failure to address the problematic switches in more than 2.59 millions of vehicles. [More]
Kraft Recalling 36,000 Cases Of Cheese Due To Packaging Choking Hazard
By 8.3.15
True story: I had a friend in college who often wanted a snack while we were out and about on weekend nights guzzling Milwaukee’s Best Light. To curb her cravings, she’d often stick a few Kraft singles cheese slices in her purse, conveniently wrapped in plastic for individual snacking opportunities. Alas, that same convenient packaging is at the heart of a new voluntary recall from Kraft, over concerns that people could choke on the plastic wrapping. [More]
N.J. Police Officer Smashes Window To Save Child Trapped Inside Hot Minivan
By 7.31.15
If we’re going to hear stories of children being left in hot cars, we’re at least glad to report on those that end well. That includes the report of a New Jersey sheriff’s officer who bashed open a minivan window to free a child who was locked inside it as it sat parked at a Costco supermarket. [More]
Allegiant Under Increased Scrutiny From Regulators After Latest Flight Disturbance
By 7.30.15
After a string of in-flight disturbances and accusations from a pilot’s union of poor safety standards, the Federal Aviation Administration has stepped up its scrutiny of budget carrier Allegiant Airlines. [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]
