from the Washington Post JENNIFER C. KERR The Associated Press Friday, March 11, 2011; 10:04 AM WASHINGTON -- Despite a last-minute attempt to derail it, the government launched a public database Friday that allows people to report and search safety complaints on thousands of products - from cribs and toys to power tools and hair dryers. SaferProducts.gov, overseen by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, went live as scheduled over the objections of manufacturers and a stalled GOP effort on Capitol Hill to withhold money for the project until critics' concerns were … [Read more...]
Ford expands recall of F-150 pickup to nearly 1.2M
from The Houston Chronicle By TOM KRISHER Associated Press April 14, 2011, 9:41AM DETROIT — Under pressure from government safety regulators, Ford Motor Co. is expanding a recall of the popular F-150 pickup truck to include nearly 1.2 million vehicles that may have defective air bags. The additional recall, announced Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, covers trucks from the 2004 through 2006 model years. An electrical short can cause the air bags to deploy unexpectedly, in some cases injuring drivers. In February, Ford agreed to fix 150,000 of the trucks but … [Read more...]
Mercedes-Benz recalls U.S. M-Class vehicles
(Reuters) - Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz is recalling 136,750 M-Class and M-Class AMG vehicles in the United States made from 1999 to 2004 for issues related to cruise control that may lead to a crash, U.S. federal safety regulators said. A filing with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that repairs will be made at Mercedes dealerships beginning in September. Applying the brakes to disengage cruise control may fail, increasing the chances of a crash, the filing said. There are other ways, including working a "cruise control stalk" or pumping the brakes, that will … [Read more...]
J&J recalling more Tylenol from closed plant
Reported in Reuters by Lewis Krauskopf -- Johnson & Johnson said it was recalling more than 700,000 bottles or packages of Tylenol and other consumer medicines made at a now-closed plant, the latest in a litany of recalls by the company. J&J’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit recalled one lot of Tylenol 8 Hour Extended Release Caplets, or 34,056 bottles, from retailers, the company said. The company cited a musty odor that has prompted many other J&J recalls. The product was made at its Fort Washington, Pennsylvania plant before J&J closed the facility in April … [Read more...]
285,000 Hyundai Elantras Recalled for Air-Bag Inflation Issue
by Christopher Jensen of the New York Times Hyundai is recalling about 285,000 Elantras for air-bag problems, while Continental Tire says about 391,000 of its truck tires are vulnerable to tread separation, according to documents filed this week with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Elantras are being recalled in two actions. The first covers about 96,000 vehicles from the 2007-8 model years due to what the automaker described as electronic noise, which might cause the driver-side air bag to inflate with full force, even if the driver’s seat is sufficiently close to … [Read more...]
Johnson & Johnson Recalls Hip Implants
By NATASHA SINGER The New York Times Published: August 26, 2010 More than two years after the Food and Drug Administration began receiving complaints about the failure of a hip replacement implant made by the DePuy Orthopaedics unit of Johnson & Johnson, the company said Thursday that it was recalling two kinds of hip implants. DePuy said that it had made the decision to withdraw the products because many patients required a second hip replacement after the company’s implants had failed. The news compounded problems for Johnson & Johnson, which has recalled a succession of some of … [Read more...]
Johnson & Johnson insulin cartridge recall
from Reuters J&J Animas unit recalls leaky insulin cartridges * 384,180 cartridges recalled in U.S., France * 22 adverse events reported, no deaths * Leak could result in underdelivery of insulin * FDA also warns Cordis unit over stent manufacturing * Shares close up 0.5 percent (Updates number of adverse events, closing share price) By Bill Berkrot NEW YORK, March 8 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), which has been beset by a seemingly endless stream of product recalls, has recalled hundreds of thousands of potentially leaky insulin pump cartridges that could … [Read more...]
Key-Fob Slip Prompts Chrysler Recall
from the New York Times Online Key-Fob Slip Prompts Recall of 248,000 Chryslers Chrysler is recalling about 248,000 vehicles because driving over rough roads can cause the key to move slightly and turn off the engine. In the new filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Chrysler said the affected models were the 2010 Dodge Journey and Grand Caravan, as well as the 2010 Chrysler Town & Country. Those vehicles use a key fob that fits into the dash. Chrysler told the safety agency that it began an investigation in September when it observed an uptick in owner … [Read more...]
Ford to recall 150,000 F-150 pickups over air bags
from the Austin American Statesman By KEN THOMAS The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Under government pressure, Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it will recall nearly 150,000 F-150 pickup trucks to fix air bags that could deploy without warning, a fraction of the vehicles the government contends should be called back and repaired. The recall covers trucks from the 2005-2006 model years in the United States and Canada for what the Dearborn, Mich., company calls a "relatively low risk" of the air bag deploying inadvertently. The government, however, has urged Ford to recall 1.3 million F-150s … [Read more...]
Child-Safety Seats Recall
from the New York Times online Nearly 800,000 Dorel Child-Safety Seats Are Recalled By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN Almost 800,000 child seats are being recalled because their harnesses may not hold the child securely, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday. The recall covers a wide range of booster, convertible and infant seats, including some sold as part of a stroller travel system, made by the Dorel Juvenile Group of Columbus, Ind. The action was prompted by the safety agency, which began an investigation of the restraints last year after receiving several consumer … [Read more...]