Long Beach Personal Injury Lawyer - Defective Products

Boy Scout Badges with Lead Recalled

Shannon Weidemann — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:18:20 GMT

The Boy Scouts of America are recalling a Cub Scout badge that has unacceptable levels of lead paint. 1.5 million badges are affected by the recall. The badge is a square shaped totem badge to show the progress of a cub scout.

Shields said the Boy Scouts "recently" began testing products made in China and distributed by American suppliers. Out of 94 items, the totem badges were the only products found to have lead in excess of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission standards. Lead paint has been banned in the United States since 1978 because of lead's link to brain and neurological problems, particularly in children's still-developing systems.

Scout leaders have been asked to take the recalled badges away from anyone in their group that has one. The badges were distrubuted by Kahoot Products Inc. and made in China.

If you would like to read more about lead paint recalls, please visit InjuryBoard's Defective & Dangerous Products information page.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Cribs Recalled After Baby Dies in California

Shannon Weidemann — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 19:11:46 GMT

Simplicity Inc. has announced a voluntary recall of over 1 million cribs that may pose a suffocation hazard to young children. Two children have died in the recalled cribs including one from Citrus Heights, California. There is a drop side on the crib that can be installed incorrectly.

"Don't take a chance at all," said Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the voluntary recall by Reading, Pa.-based Simplicity Inc., one of the nation's largest crib manufacturers.
"If you are a parent or caregiver that has one of these cribs impacted by these recalls, your baby should not sleep in that crib tonight."

The cribs were sold under the Simplicity and Graco name from January 1998 to May 2007. The company is offering a free repair kit for the crib. The recalled cribs were manufactured in China.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Mattel Recalls More Toys Due to Lead

Shannon Weidemann — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:38:54 GMT

Mattel has recalled over 800,000 Barbie and Fisher Price Toys due to lead based paint. The recalled toys were manufactured in China which has been the source of many recalls this year. The recall involves accessories for Barbie, Geo Trax Locomotive Toys, and Big Big World 6-in-1 Bongo Band toys.

Americans should expect more Chinese-made toys to be recalled in the coming months, said the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
"If I were a betting person I'd bet on more lead paint recalls," CPSC Director of Information Julie Vallese told CNN. "It's clear that lead paint on toys is not isolated just to Mattel."
The CPSC anticipates Mattel's smaller competitors will be announcing similar recalls, as they complete thorough testing of their products.

Mattel is currently testing all of their toys, both currently sold in the stores and older ones, for safety. Wal-Mart has announced it is doing its own independent testing for toys sold in their stores.

If you would like to learn more about product recalls, please visit InjuryBoard's Product Recall page.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Steel Toe Boots Recalled by Wolverine

Shannon Weidemann — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:25:39 GMT

Steel toe logger boots sold by Wolverine that are labeled as resistant to electrical current have been recalled. The recalled boots may pose a shock hazard to those that are wearing them and are exposed to an electrical current.

The boots were sold in women's and men's sizes. Women's boots were sold in black and have stock number P88030. Men's boots were sold in brown and black and have stock numbers P88033 or P88034. Stock numbers are printed on a label on the tongue of the shoe. The Caterpillar logo and "EH" are also printed on the label. The word "Caterpillar" is printed on the outside of the boots.
The boots were sold at shoe stores and other independent retailers nationwide from September 2006 through July 2007 for between $90 and $130.

The company is asking those who own the boots to stop wearing them and contact the company for a free replacement pair. The company has received no reports of any injuries by people that have worn the boots.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

First Lawsuit Over Mattel Toy Recall

Shannon Weidemann — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:45:55 GMT

A lawsuit has been filed against Mattel over the toys they sold in stores that had lead based paint. Lead is a hazard to children and adults if ingested. Mattel recalled over 9 million toys last week due to lead paint and magnets that may pose a health hazard if swallowed.

Last week Mattel recalled millions of toys, including 436,000 die-cast toy cars from its "Cars" line because they may have contained excessive amounts of lead, which can cause brain damage in children.
Following the latest recall, Mattel CEO Robert Eckert said the company's more aggressive testing methods to uncover tainted toys may lead to more recalls.

Mattel also recalled other toys earlier this year due to lead based paint. The toys were made in China which has been the source of several recalls this year.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

9 Million More Toys Recalled by Mattel

Shannon Weidemann — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:19:13 GMT

Mattel has issued another large product recall, this time for 9 million toys. The recall includes the popular Polly Pocket toys, Barbie, and some Cars themed toys. The problem with the toys has to do with magnets and lead paint. The Polly Pocket toys were made from May 2003 to November of 2006 and are already in homes.

The recalled Polly Pocket play sets have magnets measuring 1/8 of an inch embedded in the hands and feet of some dolls and in the clothing, hair pieces and other accessories to attach the pieces to the doll or the doll's house, Mattel said. Some 7.3 million sets were sold at toy stores, and 2.4 million of those were recalled in November, the company said.
Since then, Mattel has received more than 400 additional reports of magnets coming loose, according to the safety commission.

The recalled Cars toys involve the Sarge model. It was painted with lead paint and that poses a health hazard. Lead paint on toys made in China has been the focus of several toy recalls this year.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Toshiba Recalls More Sony Laptop Batteries

Shannon Weidemann — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:05:43 GMT

Toshiba has announced that they are recalling rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that were sold with their laptop computers. Around 1400 laptop batteries are included in the recall. They have the potential to overheat and catch on fire. The product recall involves the computer models Satellite A100, Satellite A105 and Tecra A7.

The CPSC suggests that consumers should stop using the recalled batteries and contact Toshiba to receive a free replacement battery. Consumers can continue to use the notebook computers safely, by turning the system off, removing the battery, and using the AC adapter and power cord to power the system until the replacement battery is received. Consumers should use only batteries obtained from Toshiba or from an authorized Toshiba reseller.

Sony's laptop batteries were recalled in large quantities in the last year. Over 10 million laptop batteries were recalled due to overheating.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Chinese Made Tire Recall Smaller Than Expected

Shannon Weidemann — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:59:27 GMT

An upcoming recall for Chinese made tires was estimated to be for 450,000 tires but may only be for 250,000 tires instead. The recalled tires were made in China and imported into the United States by Foreign Tire Sales.

In a letter to NHTSA, FTS said its has narrowed the group of questioned tires. The impacted tires were produced in three phases, FTS said, but only those produced in the second phase were missing gum strips. Tires produced without the gum strips layers between the steel belts, FTS claims, have a greater propensity to suffer tread separations.

The cost for the recall is expected to be around $20 million. Treads separating on a tire have the potential for causing an accident.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Easy Bake Oven Toy Recalled Again

Shannon Weidemann — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:24:55 GMT

Hasbro has issued a second product recall for all Easy Bake Ovens made since May of 2006. The front loading oven has been responsible for getting fingers stuck and causing some severe burns. 985,000 defective products were included in the recall. The toy was recalled in February for the same problem and a free kit was sent out that was supposed to fix the problem.

Since the February announcement, the company has received 249 more reports of children getting their hands or fingers caught in the ovens, including 16 reports of second- and third-degree burns. One burn required partial amputation of a 5-year-old girl's finger.
As a result, Hasbro, based in Rhode Island, is recalling all front-loading Easy Bake ovens sold since May 2006, even those that were repaired with the free kit distributed after the February recall.

The Easy Bake Oven can now be exchanged for a product voucher good for a different Hasbro toy. If you own this toy you should stop using it immediately and contact the company at 1-800-601-8418.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Chinese Tires Up for Recall

Shannon Weidemann — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:31:08 GMT

A defective car tire is under pressure to be recalled because there is danger of the treads separating. The tires were manufactured in China and distributed by an American import company. They are missing a gum strip, a safety feature. The recall affects over 450,000 tires. Foreign Tire Service is the American company.

FTS said it believes other importers also sold such tires made by Hangzhou Zhongce. The Chinese company has failed to provide information that would allow FTS to determine exactly how many tires, and which batches, have the problem, Lavigne said.
According to the filing, the Hangzhou tires at issue were sold under at least four brand names - Westlake, Compass, Telluride and YKS - in these sizes: LT235/75R-15; LT225/75R-16; LT235/85R-16; LT245/75R-16; LT265/75R-16; and LT3X10.5-15.

FTS has claimed that they can not afford to recall all of the affected tires and that it will put them out of business. They have already had one lawsuit filed against them for wrongful death involving the tires.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann