Recalls of the Week
Its the dawn of a new day. Like everyone else, I have been caught up in the presidential election hoopla. I honestly believe our country has turned a significant corner and the opportunity to "build a more perfect union" is upon us. But we cannot expect government to give us all the answers. It is our responsibility as citizens of this great nation to participate in this process. Not by sitting on the sidelines and taking pop-shots at those in office, but really participating in the governing process. If this election has shown us anything, its that we can make a difference and change the direction and course of our country, if we just participate.
Enough of my political moment, here is some information on the latest significant recalls of products:
1. Laptop Batteries Causing Fire: The lithium-ion batteries used in HP, Toshiba and Dell Notebooks pose a potential for fire and burning. There have been 19 reports of the batteries overheating, including 17 reports of flames/fire. The majority of these batteries were sold with HP laptops (about 32,000 of the total of 35,000 defective ones out there). For a listing of the models of laptops involved see here. On the HPs, the recalled batteries will have a bar code label starting with A0, L0, L1 or GC. The batteries were sold both with the laptops and separately. For HPs, the batteries were sold between December 2004 and June 2006; for Toshiba, April 2005 and October 2005, and for Dell they were shipped between November 2004 and November 2005. If you have one of these batteries, you are instructed to immediately remove it from the notebook and contact your computer manufacturer. If you have one of the recalled batteries, you will receive a free replacement. Consumer Reports also has a story about this recall here.
2. Krylon "Outdoor Spaces" UV Fabric Protector: Sherwin-Williams is recalling the Krylon "Outdoor Spaces" UV Fabric Protector because overexposure to fumes, vapors or the spray mist can cause serious respiratory and breathing problems. This is an aerosol coating used to protect fabric. It has been sold at Wal-Mart, Ace Hardware and other retail stores between January 2006 and September 2008. If you have this product, stop using it and return it to the place you purchased it from for a full refund. For more information on this recall, see here.
3. Firestone Tires: Bridgestone/Firestone is recalling over 135,000 Firestone FR380 tires, size P235/75R15 manufactured between June 4, 2006 and September 8, 2007, as well as almost 27,000 LEMANS Champion SE Tires of the same size due to being produced with insufficient tread base gauge. If you continue to use these tires, it can lead to vibration and groove cracking and may ultimately lead to tread separation which is very dangerous. Bridgestone will be letting owners know that the affected tires can be replaced free of charge and the replacement tires will be mounted and balanced free of charge. For more information regarding this recall and who to contact with questions, see here.
4. Cybex Treadmills: Being a fitness enthusiast myself (and yes I HATE treadmills....or should i say running in general) I thought I would pass this recall along. Cybex is recalling about 20,000 treadmills because the treadmills can speed up unexpectedly, posing a potential for users to fall. Yeah, like if the treadmill suddenly jumped up to 10mph i know I'd go flying off the treadmill and it would not be pretty. The recall only involves the 115V treadmills and not the 220V treadmills. For the models involved, see here. These treadmills were sold by Cybex and Cybex dealers between January 2001 and September 2008. If you have one of these treadmills, unplug it and stop using it immediately. Contact Cybex to obtain a free replacement fuse and if you ask, they will send a tech out to install it.
5. Serta Zipper-Covered Foam Core Mattresses: Over 6,000 Serta Zipper-Covered Foam Core Mattresses are being recalled because the mattresses fail to meet the federal open flame standard for mattresses and therefore pose a risk of fire to the consumer. The mattresses were sold in twin, full, queen, king and California king sizes. They were manufactured between November 30, 2007 and May 20, 2008. For information regarding models involved, see here. If you have one of these mattresses, you should contact Serta immediately and if your mattress is included in the recall, a free replacement mattress cover will be provided.
That's it for this week. Please stay safe and remember to be careful out there.
