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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.