Legal News
1.1 Million Toyota cars recalled over engine defect
September 1, 2010Toyota Motor Corp. says it will recall about 1.1 million Corolla and Matrix models from the 2005 to 2008 model years to fix certain engine control modules, or ECMs, that may be defective. This marks the latest in a wave of recalls Toyota and its Lexus luxury division have conducted this year.
General Motors Corp. says the recall includes 199,163 Pontiac Vibe models from the same model years. The Vibe and Matrix are sister vehicles built between April 2004 and January 2008 at the former New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., or Nummi, joint venture between GM and Toyota.
read more at – The Wall Street Journal
Egg recall tied to salmonella grows to 380 million
August 20, 2010ATLANTA — Hundreds of people have been sickened in a salmonella outbreak linked to eggs in four states and possibly more, health officials said Wednesday as a company dramatically expanded a recall to 380 million eggs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with state health departments to investigate the illnesses. No deaths have been reported, said Dr. Christopher Braden, a CDC epidemiologist involved in the investigation.
Initially, 228 million eggs, or the equivalent of 19 million dozen-egg cartons, were recalled by the company Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa. But that number was increased to nearly 32 million dozen-egg cartons.
Minnesota, a state with some of the best food-borne illness investigators in the country, has tied at least seven salmonella illnesses to the eggs.
Other states have seen a jump in reports of the type of salmonella. For example, California has reported 266 illnesses since June and believes many are related to the eggs. Colorado saw 28 cases in June and July, about four times the usual number. Spikes or clusters of suspicious cases have also been reported in Arizona, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.
Salmonella is the most common bacterial form of food poisoning. And the strain involved in the outbreak is the most common strain of salmonella, accounting for roughly 20 percent of all salmonella food poisonings.
Unfortunately, current lab tests do not allow health officials to fingerprint this form of salmonella as precisely as other kinds of food-borne illness. So determining the size of a salmonella enteritidis outbreak is a little more challenging, Braden said.
The Food and Drug Administration also is investigating.
Much of the investigation so far has been centered on restaurants in California, Colorado, Minnesota and North Carolina. They are not necessarily breakfast places – it’s possible some got sick from eating a salad dressing that had a raw egg in it, or eating soup with an undercooked egg dropped in, Braden said.
In North Carolina, a cluster of about 80 illnesses in April were linked to meringue-containing chocolate pie and banana pudding served at a Durham barbecue restaurant, health officials said.
Eggs from Wright County Egg were linked to illnesses in the four states. The eggs were distributed around the country and packaged under the names Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemp. It wasn’t immediately clear when the eggs were produced and distributed.
The initial recall was issued last week. Eggs affected by the expanded recall were distributed to food wholesalers, distribution centers and food service companies in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, Oregon, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
“We are undertaking this additional recall to further protect the safety of consumers – this voluntary measure is consistent with our commitment to egg safety, and it is our responsibility,” Wright County Egg officials said in a statement Wednesday evening.
In an earlier statement, company officials said the FDA is “on-site to review records and inspect our barns.” The officials said they began the recall Aug. 13.
The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product. It can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems.
This form of salmonella can be passed from chickens that appear healthy. And it grows inside eggs, not just on the shell, Braden noted.
Thoroughly cooking eggs can kill the bacteria. But health officials are recommending people throw away or return the recalled eggs.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/18/AR2010081805682.html
The Associated Press
Wednesday, August 18, 2010; 9:16 PM
Associated Press writers Ken Ritter in Las Vegas, Bob Christie in Phoenix, Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Judith Kohler in Denver and Todd Richmond in Madison contributed to this report.
Recall Alert: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi
July 2, 2010by Stephen Markley
Suzuki has issued a recall for 5,107 Kizashi sedans from the 2010 model year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The recall affects models built between Oct. 13, 2009, and May 31, 2010, due to a problem with a door. The hinged door of the center lower box on the dashboard doesn’t meet federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 201, “Occupant Protection in Interior Impact.” In the event of an accident, the door may swing open, which could injure a vehicle occupant. You can find out when your car was manufactured by checking the label on the driver’s doorjamb.
Dealers will inspect and replace the instrument panel center lower box with a new part for free. Owners may contact Suzuki at 714-996-7040 or NHTSA’s hot line at 888-327-4236.
Toyota reveals Lexus engine troubles
Toyota Motor Corp. said in Japan on Thursday that about 270,000 vehicles sold worldwide, including luxury Lexus sedans, have faulty engines that could cause them to possibly stall while in motion.
Toyota said there have been no reports of accidents linked to the faulty engines. It did not say how it learned about the engine troubles, or if it planned to recall the vehicles.
Full Article at Los Angeles Times.
Over 2 million cribs recalled amid safety concerns
June 24, 2010WASHINGTON — More than 2 million cribs from Evenflo, Delta Enterprise Corp. and five other companies were recalled Thursday amid concerns that babies can suffocate, become trapped or fall from the cribs.
Most of the cribs were drop-sides, which have a side rail that moves up and down so parents can lift children from them more easily. That movable side, however, can malfunction or detach from the crib, creating a dangerous gap where babies’ heads can become trapped, leading to suffocation or strangulation.
The other companies involved in the recall were Child Craft, Jardine Enterprises, LaJobi, Million Dollar Baby and Simmons Juvenile Products.
No deaths were linked to the recalled cribs, but there were more than 250 reports of drop-sides detaching or failing and at least 16 entrapments of infants. In one case, a child was found unconscious and later hospitalized.
In the announcement from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, all seven companies recalled drop-side cribs. Delta and Child Craft also acknowledged problems with fixed-side cribs.
Drop-sides have increasingly come under scrutiny, with several warnings from the CPSC in the last year that the cribs can be deadly. CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum has pledged to ban their manufacture and sale by year’s end.
“This new recall announcement is part of a larger effort by CPSC to clean up the marketplace from many of these unsafe cribs,” said Tenenbaum. “Most of these recalled cribs have dangerous drop-sides, while the Delta crib can pose a danger to babies if the mattress support is installed incorrectly.”
CPSC urged parents to stop using the cribs and contact the manufacturers for repair kits to immobilize the drop-side or information to make the cribs more secure.
The recalls involved about:
-750,000 Jenny Lind drop-side cribs distributed by Evenflo Inc.
-747,000 Delta drop-side cribs. Delta is also urging parents to check all fixed and drop-side cribs that use wooden stabilizer bars to support the mattress. The company says the bars can be installed upside down, causing the mattress platform to collapse. CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said Delta “was not cooperative with providing the full number of units involved in the mattress support assembly problem.”
-306,000 Bonavita, Babi Italia and ISSI drop-side cribs manufactured by LaJobi Inc.
-130,000 Jardine drop-side cribs imported by Toys R Us.
-156,000 Million Dollar Baby drop-side cribs.
-50,000 Simmons drop-side cribs.
-40,000 to 50,000 Child Craft brand stationary-side cribs and an unknown number of Child Craft brand drop-sides. Child Craft ceased operations last summer and sold its name to Foundations Worldwide Inc., which did not manufacture or sell any of the recalled cribs but will offer rebates for some of them.
With Thursday’s announcement, 9 million drop-side cribs have been recalled in the past five years. Drop-sides have been blamed in the deaths of at least 32 infants and toddlers since 2000. The cribs are suspected in another 14 infant fatalities during that time.
Congress is also concerned about the cribs. Legislation has been introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., to outlaw the sale and manufacture of drop-sides. A similar bill has been introduced in the House by Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley, also of New York.
Drop-side cribs have been around for decades, but consumer advocates say they are not as sturdy as those of the past. Older cribs had metal rods that guided the drop-side up and down. Many newer cribs have plastic tracking guides for the drop-side that critics say are more prone to breaking.
The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, which represents over 90 percent of the crib industry, urges parents not to use cribs with loose or missing parts. It also says consumers should not use a crib that is older than 10 years because it may not comply with current standards.
The Associated Press
Thursday, June 24, 2010; 9:55 AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/24/AR2010062401732.html
Fatal Explosions Renew Concerns About Texas Pipeline Safety
June 14, 2010The recent gas pipeline explosions in Texas, which has the largest network of natural gas pipelines in the country, has revived concerns about public safety. Drilling critics argue that more pipelines mean more safety concerns. Industry advocates insist that the current system provides enough protection and note that nearly all pipeline accidents in Texas are caused by third parties not following the law.
- AMAN BATHEJA, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: http://www.star-telegram.com/
BMW, VW, Issue Recalls Over Fire Dangers
German car makers BMW and Volkswagen are the latest auto manufacturers to issue recalls in the U.S. Both BMW and VW issued the recalls because of defects inside the car that could cause fires. The BMW 1 Series luxury cars, years 2008-2011, were recalled due to a flaw in the front seat belt, while more than 15,000 VW minivans were recalled because of faulty rear-door latches. – Staff Report, Kansas City Star
Kansas City Star: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/11/2010811/starwatch-consumer-bmw-vw-issue.html
Discover Deceived Cardholders, Lawsuit Claims
June 11, 2010Discover has been named a lawsuit that claims the credit card company has been signing up customers for its payment protection plan without their permission. The plan requires customers to pay a monthly fee in exchange for a break on payment times if they suddenly have to make a large payment, such as to a hospital for an emergency. The lawsuit claims that Discover card agents have failed to discuss the program or its confusing language with their customers and instead enrolled them in the program without their knowledge or consent. In addition to the claim of deceptive business practices, the lawsuit alleges that Discover did not properly disclose fees related to the payment protection program. – Jennifer Schultz, The New York Times
The New York Times: http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/class-action-lawsuit-targets-discovers-payment-protection-program/?src=busln