Product Defect Liability Lawyer Blog

Federal officials have issued a defective product recall for more than 2.1 million drop-side cribs made by Stork Craft Manufacturing, in the single biggest crib recall in the nation's history. According to an MSNBC news report, this product recall involves 1.2 million cribs in the United States and about 1 million in Canada where the company is based. Apparently, these cribs have a serious product defect where the drop-side plastic hardware can break or deform causing the drop-side to detach. This basically creates a space between the drop side and the crib mattress where infants can become entrapped and suffocate. Such unforeseen drop-side detachment can also cause dangerous fall injuries to young children.

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L. G. Sourcing has issued a defective product recall for more than 600,000 of its Perfect Flame SLG Series gas grills sold at Lowe's Stores. According to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, the burners on these grills can deteriorate causing irregular flames. The lids of some models can ignite, posing serious burn injuries to consumers. So far, the company has received nearly 40 reports of fires from these defective burners and close to 23 reports of the lids igniting. The company stated that one eye injury related to this product defect required surgery. In 21 other incidents, consumers sustained burn injuries to their hands, arms or face.

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Several retail stores including IKEA, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Hanover Direct are issuing a defective product recall for nearly 1 million roller blinds and Roman shades because of a serious strangulation hazard to young children. According to a Fox News report, a child's neck can get tangled in the inner cord of the Roman shades or the exposed loop of the roller blinds. The recall comes after several incidences of near strangulation of children between the ages of 1 and 3. IKEA recalled blinds in August as well as in November 2008 after the death of a child who was strangled in the cords.

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I blogged about recent defective product recalls involving millions of Roman blinds with lengthy inner cords that can pose serious strangulation hazards for young children. Several large nationwide retailers have pulled these dangerous and defective blinds from the market over the last few months. However, a news report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the manufacturers of the defective products may have known about these serious dangers and product defects for the last seven years.

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As a California personal injury lawyer, I have reviewed many cases where defective products have caused carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide or CO is a dangerous gas, also known as a silent killer because of its high toxicity and undetectable odor. Portable generators, heaters and stoves are among the leading causes of carbon monoxide poisoning in the United States.

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Dorel Juvenile Group is expanding its defective product recall involving its Safety 1st brand of stair gates for children. According to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, the hinges that hold these stair gates in place can break posing a fall hazard and serious injury hazard to young children, especially if the gate is placed at the top of the stairs. The recent recall is for about 31,500 gates. Another 100,000 gates were recalled in February.

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Black & Decker is reissuing a defective product recall involving about 200,000 of its GH1000 Grasshog XP String trimmers and edgers because of growing injuries, according to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com. The defective trimmer's spool, spool cap and pieces of trimmer string can come loose when it is being used and become airborne projectiles, posing a serious personal injury hazard to the user as well as bystanders. These trimmers can also apparently overheat posing a burn hazard to consumers.

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Kidde Recalls Defective Fire Extinguishers

Kidde has recalled about 167,000 defective fire extinguishers, which company officials say, could lose pressure and fail to operate in the event of a fire. According to the Consumer watchdog Web site, Consumeraffairs.com, this defective product recall involves the Kidde XL fire extinguishers with model numbers FX340SC, FX340H, FX340GW, XL5MR, FX210R, FX340SC-2, FX210W, XL2.5TCZ-4, E-340-3. These defective products were reportedly manufactured between October 2007 and April 2008.The brand name "Kidde" and the model number can be found on the label on the front of the extinguisher. These products, made in Mexico, were sold at department, home and hardware stores nationwide for about $35.

Consumers are first asked to check the pressure gauge of the Kidde fire extinguisher they own. If it points to the red zone, they can contact Kidde and receive a free replacement extinguisher. If the gauge is not in the red zone, and the fire extinguisher is one of the recalled models, please contact Kidde at 1-888-345-4407 or visit their Web site at www.Kidde.com for more information.

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Maytag is recalling 1.6 million defective Maytag refrigerators that officials say pose a serious fire hazard because of electrical failure that can cause overheating. According to this MSNBC News report, the Newton, Iowa-based company is recalling the defective products because of an electrical failure in the relay. Maytag officials say the component that turns on the refrigerator's compressor can overheat and cause serious fires. So far, Maytag has received 41 reports of refrigerator relay ignition, including 16 reports of property damage ranging from smoke damage to extensive damage.

This recall includes some of Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, Admiral, Magic Chef, Performa by Maytag and Crosley brand of side-by-side and top-freezer refrigerators. The fridges included in this recall were apparently manufactured in black, bisque, white and stainless steel. For more information about the list of model numbers and brands included in this recall, please visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissions Web site. The refrigerators were manufactured in the United States and were sold in department and appliance stores as well as by homebuilders nationwide from January 2001 through January 2004 for between $350 and $1,600.

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Four-year-old Kayley Ishii of Mission Viejo died in a tragic accident after she climbed into a front-loading washing machine and her little brother switched it on. According to this news report, Kayley was in the water-filled machine for at least two minutes before her mother found her. Orange County Sheriff’s officials say the girl climbed into the washing machine the afternoon of February 2, 2009 and her 15-month-old brother managed to start the machine either by bumping against it or pushing a button. The washing machine’s controls were apparently only 20 inches from the floor and the start switch was a simple push button.

My heart goes out to this Orange County family. I cannot imagine the grief and the emotions they are dealing with right now. Tragic! I offer my deepest sympathies to everybody who knew and loved little Kayley. The Ishii family will certainly be in my prayers.

The first question that pops in probably every person’s mind after reading this story is: “How could this tragedy have been prevented?” Of course, when it comes to incidents involving children – be it swimming pool accident or those involving household appliances – it can all happen very quickly. Children can be creative and a lot quicker than adults in executing their ideas. You could take your eye off your toddler for a minute or for a few seconds and it could happen – just like that.

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A Costa Mesa family lost their pet in a fire on December 27, 2008, which officials say was caused by a space heater. According to a CBS News report, the fire broke out in the rear unit of a residential duplex on the 200 block of Magnolia Street. The residents and their guests were uninjured and were able to make it out of the house, but the family’s dog was killed in the fire.

Costa Mesa fire officials say the space heater certainly caused the blaze, but they are trying to look at whether the heater had been placed too close to any flammable materials or whether the space heater was defective or malfunctioning. Investigators are estimating the damage from the fire at $450,000, which includes a vehicle in the garage.

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has imposed a $500,000 civil penalty on retail giant IKEA, alleging that the company failed to report incidents about its defective outdoor candles. According to this CPSC news release, IKEA did not promptly report to the government that the outdoor candles they sold could suddenly flare up and pose a serious risk of fire and burn injuries to consumers when they attempted to blow out the candles.

IKEA sold about 133,000 six-packs of outdoor candles in the United States between February 2001 and July 2005. IKEA also sold an additional 1.3 million candles internationally. In the four years that these defective products were sold IKEA received at least 32 reports worldwide of unexpected flare-ups and 12 reported injuries ranging from minor to serious burns.

It wasn’t until May 2006 that the CPSC and IKEA announced the recall of these defective candles. The company has agreed to pay a $500,000 civil penalty. What this penalty does is “settle allegations” that the company failed to report these serious incidents. It does not mean that IKEA accepts any fault or blame for not reporting the injuries and incidents. In fact, it denies that it “knowingly violated federal law.”

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IKEA Home Furnishings issued a voluntary recall of its IRIS and ALVINE Roman blinds after the strangulation death of a child. According to a product safety alert issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, IKEA is recalling about 670,000 units in the United States. Close to 5 million units were sold outside the United States.

Officials say strangulations can occur when a child places his or her neck in an exposed inner cord on the back side of the Roman blinds. A 1-year-old girl in Greenwich, Connecticut, died on April 4, 2008 after she became entangled in the inner cord of an IKEA Roman blind and was strangled. The little girl was apparently playing in a portable playpen that was placed under a fully lowered blind.

The recalled products include all sizes of the IRIS and ALVINE Roman blinds in white. The products, manufactured in India, have a sewn-in label at the top edge of the blind with the IKEA logotype, article name, a five-digit supplier number (19799 or 21369) and a four-digit stamp as well as the words “Made in India.” These dangerous and defective products were sold in IKEA stores nationwide from July 2005 through June 2008 for between $7 and $30.

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General Electric is recalling about 244,000 defective GE Profile, Kenmore and Monogram wall ovens. The defective wall ovens could pose a risk of fire and burn injuries to consumers, according to this news report on Consumeraffairs.com. The high level of heat used during the self-clean cycle can escape if the wall oven door is removed and incorrectly reattached by the installer or the consumer. This can result in a fire injury hazard to consumers.

GE has issued the product recall in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which has also issued a consumer alert about these defective GE wall ovens. A complete list of the recalled models is also listed in this consumer alert. CPSC reports that so far it has not received any reports of personal injury. Although there have already been 28 incident reports of property damage in which adjacent kitchen cabinets were burned or damaged.

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