This product recall apparently involves model year 2007-2008 Honda CRF150/RB motocross competition motorcycles. These vehicles were manufactured in Japan and sold by Honda motorcycle dealers nationwide from September 2006 through October 2008 for between $4,300 and $4,400. Consumers who own one of these defective vehicles are asked to stop using them immediately and contact any Honda dealer to schedule a free repair. Registered owners of these recalled motorcycles can soon expect a direct recall notice in the mail. Those who want more information are asked to call Honda toll-free at 866-784-1870 or visit the company’s Web site at www.powersports.honda.com.
]]> This recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which has also issued a safety alert about this product recall. Apparently, this is not the first time these vehicles have been recalled. In 2000, 22,000 of these off-road motorcycles were recalled for defective bolts in the handlebars that could break, causing the rider to lose steering control. In that recall, Honda had received four reports of loose handlebars caused by one of the two bolts failing.It is indeed fortunate that no one suffered catastrophic or fatal injuries as a result of this serious product defect. If you or someone you know has suffered a serious injury because of this particular defective product or other product defects, you would be well-advised to contact a nationally renowned product defect law firm to find out how you can pursue your legal rights. The best auto product defect attorneys will offer a free consultation.
]]>Teresa Taylor was driving her 1997 Mercury Mountaineer westbound on Interstate 40 near West Memphis when the tread on her rear driver’s side tire, which she had purchased from a Sears Auto Center just a year ago, peeled off. Taylor lost control of her sport utility vehicle, which skidded across the median and rolled over. This tragic accident killed Teresa Taylor’s 15-year-old cousin, Tevin Pettis, who was a passenger in her vehicle. Investigators found that the tire had a U.S. Department of Transportation code: 2102, which meant that the tire in question was four years old when it was sold as “new” to Taylor.
]]> What do these codes mean? The first two numbers denote the week the tire was made and the last two numbers denote the year. Officials are now saying that it is very important consumers take a hard look at these numbers that are usually etched on every tire. But sometimes, it’s not that simple since the number is etched on the inside wall of the tire. So if the tire is already on a vehicle, a consumer would have to get under the car to inspect the code.The danger of aging tires was particularly highlighted in a study by Massachusetts-based Safety Research & Strategies Inc. The results document 159 accidents since 1992 involving tire tread separation – 128 deaths and 168 injuries. Every one of those accidents involved a tire that was six years old or older. Although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recognizes that tire age degradation presents a hazard, the public is still at risk and in danger because they have little or no information about this “invisible danger.” Outreach to consumers from tire companies or the NHTSA has been non-existent on this important issue.
Aging tires quickly turn defective when they sit on store shelves for years. They could dry out and crack, especially in regions with warmer weather such as California and Florida. Tire tread separation accidents are deadly and almost always result in catastrophic injuries or death because the driver, however experienced he or she may be, has little chance of gaining control of the vehicle once a tire fails. Tire failures often result in rollover accidents, which claim more than 10,000 lives each year. For more information about tire safety, please visit the Rubber Manufacturers Association’s Web site. If you or someone you love has been injured as a result of defective or aging tires, I’d like to hear about it.
]]>Dealers will add a redundant locking mechanism to the gearshift cable. The recall began on November 10, 2008. Owners with questions are asked to call 1-800-853-1403 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at 1-888-327-4236 or visit their Web site at www.safercar.gov.
]]> According to this news report, Chrysler has said it is not aware of any accidents, injuries or deaths related to this auto product recall. This recall actually comes after nine customer complaints and 55 field reports of problems with the 2007 Dodge Charger and Magnum police vehicles. The problem was first reported in September 2008 by the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland. The department complained that the police vehicles “appeared to be in park gear, but were actually in drive.”Gear problems are among the most common auto product defects in addition to brake and tire defects. Unfortunately, these are serious product defects that could result in auto accidents that cause major injuries or even death. Accidents are likely to happen especially when a driver believes he or she has left the vehicle in “park.” We often see accidents where the defective gear causes the vehicle to roll and run over its own driver or other passers by.
Any time a manufacturer promptly recalls a defective product, that’s a good thing. A prompt defective product recall saves lives and prevents injuries. In this case, Chrysler did the right thing by recalling these faulty vehicles right away. The potential for accident and injury was particularly high with this one because these are police patrol cars, which are out in the community on a daily basis.
]]>Consumers who have questions about this recall are asked to call Cadillac toll-free at 1-866-982-2339 or visit www.gmownercenter.com. More information about this recall is also available on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Web site at www.safercar.gov or by calling the federal agency at 1-888-327-4236.
]]> I’m glad to hear Cadillac is acting in a timely manner and recalling these vehicles that are equipped with these defective airbag sensors. Airbag defects can lead to catastrophic injuries or even death, although the main purpose of having airbags in vehicles is to save lives. According to the NHTSA, between 1990 and 2001, 215 people died because of airbags deploying in low-impact crashes when they were not supposed to. This fatality number includes 72 drivers, 10 adult passengers, 111 children between the ages of 1 and 11 and 22 infants.Also, when airbags inflate, they do so at a high rate of speed and with a lot of force. Improper airbag deployment causes severe facial or eye injuries that could even result in permanent blindness. When airbags fail to deploy during severe accidents, especially rollover crashes, we see catastrophic or fatal injuries occur as a result. So whatever the airbag defect – a bag that inflated too soon, one that deployed late or failed to deploy – it could cause tremendous damage and injury to the vehicle’s occupants. If you or someone you love has been seriously injured because of an airbag defect and would like to learn about your legal rights, please contact us.
]]>According to the government’s own numbers, 10,000 people are killed each year in rollover crashes and at least 16,000 suffer catastrophic injuries every year in the United States. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is yet to issue a new rule for vehicle roof crush testing and standards. The antiquated standard, which has remained unaltered for more than 30 years, has allowed auto makers to continue to manufacture vehicles will sub-standard, weak, defective roofs that crush and injure their occupants during a rollover crash.
The NHTSA’s current standard involves a “static test,” which means that vehicles are stationary when the roofs are tested. The problem with such testing is that real rollover crashes do not occur when vehicles are stationary. As we all know, most of these rollover accidents occur when vehicles are traveling at highway speeds. That’s why these static tests simply don’t make any sense.
]]> One might ask why these standards even exist. Because auto makers have lobbied federal officials for decades to make sure those standards never change. It would cost Ford or General Motors about $300 per vehicle to make the roofs stronger. But these companies are so used to putting profits over people that they just don’t want to make the smallest dent in their profits – even if it means putting consumers in safer vehicles and preventing tens of thousands of injuries and fatalities.Ben Parr, a former GM engineer who is quoted in the Channel 10 investigative report, criticizes the NHTSA for delaying these roof strength standards. In fact, Parr says he told his bosses at GM 30 years ago that the “static crush tests” were completely ineffective in determining roof strength. Parr says he knew people were going to die because of those ineffectively tested roofs. Parr calls it a “travesty,” which is an understatement, in my opinion.
Can Ford and GM give back people’s lives? Do they have the power to give children their father back or a wife her husband back? Can they restore the quality of life of someone who has suffered brain injuries or who has to spend the rest of his or her life in a wheelchair? Obviously, the answer to all these questions is a big “no.”
It is high time NHTSA came up with an effective way to test vehicle roof strength and give consumers the quality and safety they deserve.
]]>Sony officials are saying that these particular product defects seem to have been caused by a problem with a production line during October 2004 and June 2005. Sony VAIO notebook computers are apparently not affected by this recall. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), about 32,000 batteries were being voluntarily recalled in the United States.
]]> About 14,400 Toshiba laptops are also affected by this recall. Consumers are asked to stop using these defective computer batteries right away because they have the potential to overheat and cause serious burn injuries. Sony’s biggest recall of laptop batteries so far was in 2006 when 10 million of the laptop computer batteries were recalled because of fears that they would catch fire. For more information about whom to call or how to take action, consumers may visit CPSC’s Web site where an alert has been posted about these dangerous and defective products.It is disturbing that a problem about which many consumers had complained, has not been taken care of right away. An overheated computer battery cannot be treated lightly. Many laptop computer users rest the machine on their lap and can suffer serious burn injuries. Recalls of dangerous and defective products must be made promptly. Otherwise, these defective products could end up injuring more unsuspecting consumers. If you or someone you know has suffered serious burn injuries because of these or other laptop batteries, I’d like to hear about it.
]]>Used mostly by off-road aficionados and hunters, these vehicle models are larger than all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). Most of the models have two side-by-side seats, a steering wheel and a protective roll cage. Features such as the roll cage place these vehicles outside the current rules for traditional ATVs. Models similar to the Rhino include Polaris’ Razor, Honda Motor Company’s Big Red, Kawasaki’s Mule and the Arctic Cat Prowler. Yamaha, of course, maintains that its Rhino is extremely safe and reliable, yet 30 fatal accidents occurred on their off-highway vehicles.
It is imperative that the CPSC officials take immediate steps to begin regulating these seemingly dangerous vehicles. I hope their investigation looks into inherent product defects and possible design defects, which may have led to the deaths of the people who attempted to ride them. These vehicles obviously look a lot like the ATV and ride like the ATV, but are grouped into a different category because of their larger size and some additional features.
]]> If children or teenagers are riding this new category of vehicles, then that causes deep concerns. The larger a vehicle, the harder it is for a younger person to control it. How stable are these vehicles? Are they prone to rollovers? Are there any safety mechanisms in place to ensure that rollover accidents do not cause catastrophic injuries or deaths to the vehicle’s occupants? If your child cannot drive a car, he or she should not be on an ATV or on one of these unregulated vehicles.The Yamaha Rhino has not been without problems. Scott Smith, a 42-year-old California man, recently filed an Orange County product liability suit against Yamaha Motor Corporation. In his lawsuit he alleges that the Rhino side-by-side all-terrain vehicle is dangerously unstable and defective. Smith was injured in an August 20, 2006 ATV accident when the Rhino he was a passenger in, tipped over at a low rate of speed. Smith’s right leg was crushed and permanently impaired during this accident.
If you or someone you know has suffered serious injuries as a result if of a Yamaha Rhino or any other ATV accident, please call us to find out how you can pursue and protect your legal rights.
]]>These dangerous and defective products were manufactured in China between November 2007 and August 2008. The chainsaws’ date plates located under the rear handle of the saw bear both the model number and manufacturing date. Products not included in this recall are those that have a green dot sticker under the bottom side of the handle area and on the outside of the package.
]]> Homelite chainsaws were sold in Home Depot stores nationwide between December 2007 and October 2008 for between $110 and $200. Please visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Web site, which has also posted an alert about this particular product defect. Consumers who own these chainsaws are asked to immediately stop using them and contact Homelite Consumer Products. Consumers may contact an authorized Homelite service center to schedule a free repair. Those looking for more information are asked to call the company toll-free at 1-800-242-4672 or visit their Web site.According to the CPSC, there were more than 28,500 chainsaw injuries in 1999. More than 36 percent of these injuries were to the legs and knees. The average chainsaw injury requires about 110 stitches and the average medical costs in 2000 were more than $12,000 per injury. Medical costs for chainsaw injuries in the United States are estimated at about $350 million. Worker’s compensation costs related to chainsaw injuries are estimated at $125 million annually. The CPSC also estimates that chainsaw injuries are the most common and the most serious among people over 65 years of age who take on home improvement projects at home.
Homelite did the right thing by recalling these defective products, which clearly posed a serious injury hazard to consumers. If you have suffered an injury as a result of this particular brand of chainsaw or any other defective tools or products, please call us to find out about your legal rights.
]]>Firestone did the right thing by recalling these defective tires. Consumers must immediately replace these tires that have insufficient treads because it could very likely cause a serious accident, which could result in catastrophic injuries or even death. Insufficient tread is a dangerous condition for your tires because it seriously affects your car’s ability to grip the road in adverse conditions. This could cause even a good driver to lose control of his or her vehicle posing a serious risk of an auto accident.
If you or someone you know has been seriously injured because of a defective tire or any other dangerous or defective auto product, I’d like to hear about it.
]]>CPSC has received five reports of the tealight holders catching on fire and one report of the holder getting too hot. Two consumers are said to have suffered burns to their hands. Some minor property damage has also been reported.
]]> The tea light candle holders are metal in the shape of a ghost and are white with a black base. They were sold by Crate & Barrel between August and October of 2008 for about $10 as a set of three holders. Crate & Barrel is asking consumers to stop using these defective products immediately and return them to the store for a full refund. For more information about this recall, consumers can call Crate & Barrel at 1-800-451-8217 or visit the company’s Web site at www.tagltd.com.The Casper figurines, manufactured by Coyne’s & Company, are made of resin and paper and three inches tall. They were sold in small bags decorated with a spider and web design at gift, specialty, card and drug stores nationwide from June 2005 and September 2008 for $1 to $3. Coyne’s is asking consumers to take these figurines away from children and contact the company to receive a full refund. Their toll-free number is 1-800-336-8666 and Web site is www.coynes.com.
Toys containing lead paint, which were manufactured in China, have come under intense scrutiny over the last year after there were reports of brain injuries from lead paint poisoning among young children who played with these toys. If you or someone you know has purchased these dangerous and defective products please return them to the store. If you have been seriously injured by these or other product defects, I’d like to hear about it.
]]>The lawsuit also alleges that Ford has been aware of the defective gas tank design in the Crown Victoria for years, but has done nothing to rectify it or make it safer for consumers. Apparently, this lawsuit is one of many across the Unites States claiming a faulty design in Crown Victoria cars. According to the Center for Auto Safety, since 1992 more than 100 people have been killed in rear-end collisions involving a Crown Victoria. More than 30 of these casualties included police officers.
]]> But then, of course, numbers, statistics and facts have never mattered to Ford officials.The main purpose of product liability lawsuits is to hold manufacturers of dangerous and defective products responsible for not only manufacturing those products, but for not correcting the problem even after it was brought to their attention. Ford Motor Company has had a history of such behavior. One example of it that our firm witnesses frequently is their indifference to roof strength issues in their sport utility vehicles.
Their SUV models such as the Explorer, Excursion and Expedition have such weak roofs that they cannot withstand the impact of a rollover crash. Occupants of these vehicles have suffered catastrophic injuries in SUV rollover accidents. I offer my condolences to the Freeto family for their tragic loss. I hope they get the justice and compensation that they absolutely deserve and that Ford is held accountable for their wrongdoing.
]]>This new report does not come as a surprise. With the increased use of ATVs, especially by teenagers and young children, the number of injuries and fatalities among ATV users has been consistently increasing over the last 10 years. These numbers show that CPSC’s efforts to stem the tide have been completely ineffective. To make matters worse, the ATV industry itself has done nothing to make these dangerous vehicles any safer for consumers. There have been several recalls of dangerous and defective ATVs over the last two years. These vehicles have posed significant risk of severe injury and death to consumers.
]]> Some of the most significant findings of CPSC’s Annual 2007 report include the following:• Serious ATV accident-related injuries that required emergency room treatment increased from 146,000 in 2006 to 150,900 in 2007. Since 2001, there has been a 37 percent increase in serious injuries as a result of ATV accidents.
• There were 542 reports of ATV-related fatalities in 2007 – a number that is expected to increase as additional data is gathered.
• In 2007, at least 107 children younger than 16 were killed while riding ATVs. This age group accounts for 20 percent of the year’s fatalities.
• Children under 16 suffered 40,000 serious injuries in 2007. That constitutes 27 percent of all injuries. Also since 2001, there has been a 17 percent increase in the number of children under 16, who have been seriously injured on ATVs.
ATVs are clearly unsafe for children and young adults. An ATV is not a toy but a powerful vehicle, which sometimes, can reach speeds of more than 100 mph. If your son or daughter cannot drive or control a car, he or she should not be riding an ATV. If they must ride, please make sure that there is more than adequate adult supervision, your children have received the necessary training and they are wearing the necessary safety gear. For more information about ATV safety, please visit this CPSC Web site.
]]>The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states in its recall summary that the park brake lever clutch drum may “distort and reduce the effectiveness of the park brake system.” This could essentially allow the vehicle to move suddenly and inadvertently and cause a crash without warning, the federal agency warned. This recall involves Nitro and Liberty vehicles equipped with manual transmissions that were manufactured before February 2008. Chrysler dealers will replace the lever assembly for free once the recall begins later this month. Owners are asked to contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403 for more information about this recall.
Parking brake defects are extremely serious and can lead to catastrophic injuries or death in the event of an accident. We have seen many cases where an ineffective parking brake system can cause a vehicle to roll back without warning and run over unsuspecting victims. Auto collisions are also likely.
]]> A few product defect lawsuits related to parking brakes have received national attention recently. One of those was a class action lawsuit filed against General Motors by vehicle owners who had to pay $500 each to replace these defective parking brakes. Another lawsuit in 2004 involved the Hyundai Motor Company, which recalled its minivans because of defective parking brake cable in its Trajet XG models. The Trajets were sold between 1999 and early 2004.Manufacturing defects are extremely common among most brands of vehicles. Some involve components and others involve design defects. Some of these defects are not discovered until the vehicles have already been sold. But recall data and industry internal documents show that often, manufacturers do know about a large number of these defects before their vehicles are sold. And some of these defects are even known before the vehicles are actually built. Still some manufacturers will proceed with marketing and selling defective vehicles. To them, getting caught is not as big a deal as the money they would have to spend recalling the vehicles or redesigning the vehicles to make them safer.
It is the consumer who pays a heavy price for these auto product defects either by spending money to repair them or worse, suffering injuries or death in an auto accident caused by those product defects.
]]>Ford officials say the government investigation involves all vehicles with the tire valves, including 12 vehicles from the 2007 model year cited by the government. Ford officials also say they have “received some complaints, but no reports of crashes or injuries.” These valves are used in most Ford vehicles except for some models of the F-Series Super Duty Trucks and Econoline vans. The vehicles involved in the investigation include the Ford F-150, Mustang, Edge, Fusion, Expedition, Explorer, Focus and Escape, and the Mercury Grand Marquis, MKX, MKZ, and Milan.
]]> NHTSA has opened a preliminary evaluation to “assess the scope, frequency and safety consequences” of this alleged Ford tire defect. This may or may not lead to vehicle recalls. We had blogged about these defective tire valve systems earlier this month.NHTSA needs to act quickly and determine if there is an actual defect. If there is a problem with these valves, they must take immediate action. When tires blow out at freeway speeds, it is impossible, even for experienced drivers, to gain control of the vehicle. The resulting crashes often cause major injuries or fatalities. NHTSA and Ford must take action right away to make sure that innocent consumers don’t pay for these defective products with their lives.
]]>The Ford Escape Hybrid apparently received only a three-star rollover resistance rating from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) when compared with another more popular taxi model, the Crown Victoria, which received a five-star rating. This is a tough challenge for New York taxi owners and drivers because they face a possible city-wide hybrid taxi mandate that was scheduled to go into effect this month. This mandate would essentially get rid of the Crown Victoria taxicabs and require taxi owners to drive vehicles such as the Ford Escape.
]]> Gambardella, who has worked as an auto accident reconstruction expert for the last 26 years, spoke before the New York City Council and said that the Ford Escape Hybrid is more likely to roll over than the Ford Crown Victoria. Gambardella said this fact is due to the Escape having a higher center of gravity and is only made worse by poor road conditions in New York City.With skyrocketing gas prices, these Ford Escape hybrids have become extremely common in California as well. This report is deeply disturbing because regular motorists in California, who use the Ford Escape for normal transportation, are in the same danger as these New York City taxi drivers.
How many consumers who own these hybrids know about its poor rating in rollover crashes? The inherent design defect, much like other Ford sport utility vehicles models such as the Explorer, Excursion and Expedition, makes these vehicles prone to rollover accidents. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2006, more than 10,000 people died in rollover accidents. Most Ford vehicles also have poor roof strength, which causes occupants to suffer severe head and spinal cord injuries when the roof caves in during a rollover.
If you or someone you know has been seriously injured as a result of a Ford Focus hybrid accident, I’d certainly like to hear about it.
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