product recall

In response to a request from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, Kennedy International Incorporated has announced a voluntary recall for more than 1.6 million units of its folding step stools due to a fall risk posed by the possibility of unexpected breakage during routine use. Kennedy International Incorporated is a product distributor headquartered in Dayton, New Jersey. This folding step stool recall comes as a response to at least 15 consumer complaints made to the company in response to the step stools breaking or cracking during routine use. This recall follows the recall of multiple models of non-folding step stools for similar issues, including a recall of more than 340,000 stools sold at Target retail outlets across the United States. At least three of these incidents have reportedly led to injuries including in one case, a broken leg. An estimated 1.6 million Kennedy Folding Step Stools are being recalled throughout the United States. The Kennedy Folding Step Stools affected by this recall were distributed nationwide to retail outlets including Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, and HomeGoods, where they were sold from January 2010 to January 2012 for a retail price ranging from $8 to $12. Consumers in possession of Kennedy Folding Step Stools affected by this recall are advised to discontinue their use immediately and contact Kennedy International to receive instructions for returning the product for a refund of the full purchase price.

One World Technologies, in cooperation with a request from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, has announced a voluntary recall for an estimated 89,000 of its gas powered barbecue grills. The recall comes as a response to more than 560 consumer complaints received by One World Technologies product distributors related to leaking regulators. The leaking regulators pose a fire hazard and a severe burn risk, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commision. The gas grills affected by this recall are the Stok Quattro (equipped with four burners) and the Stok Island (a round grill equipped with two burners) model gas powered barbecue grills. These grills are equipped with regulators imprinted with date codes ranging from 1046 to 1143 on the back and model number AZF on the front. These grills were distributed for sale at Home Depot retail hardware stores throughout the United States between March of 2011 and February of 2012 for a purchase price ranging from $79 to $350. One World Technologies has announced plans to send owners of affected grills replacement regulators at no additional cost. Consumers in possession of grills affected by this recall should discontinue their use until a new regulator has been obtained and installed. More information on this recall can be obtained from the Stok Grills website or by calling One World Technologies directly. Knowingly selling a recalled product is forbidden under United States law, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.

It’s spring, and that means that numerous people from across the country are about to head out or have already headed out on their bicycles for scenic rides.  That’s why the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is advising everyone to check to make sure that their bike or bike accessories have not been recalled due to an inherent safety defect.

To start with, the organization offers up five bicycles that have had to be recalled because of a fall hazard that each of the bikes pose.  These bikes include Fuji Saratoga Women’s Bicycles, 2010 to 2012 Public Bikes Bicycles, 2012 Trek FX and District Bicycles, Bridgeway Bicycles, and 2012 bicycles made by Specialized Bicycle Components that have Advanced Group Carbon Forks.  These units have been recalled for a variety of reasons, from chains, frames, and bolts breaking to pedal cracking and brake disengagement.

The CPSC also wants consumers to be aware of various accessories that could also be potentially hazardous.  The Topeak Babyseat II Bicycle Carrier Seat could amputate a child’s finger if he or she sticks their fingers into a hinge mechanism.  A Chariot bicycle trailer and trailer conversion kit have defects that cause the items to disengage from the bike while in use.  And Little Tricky Bicycle Helmets fail to comply with impact resistance standards.

The list goes on, and concerned consumers should visit the website for more details.  All persons who find that they have a recalled bike product in their possession should contact the maker of the item to figure out the proper steps to take.

Cafe Tasse S.A. is recalling its Noir Belgian Chocolate Bar. The 1.58 ounce Cafe Tasse brand chocolate bar contains milk, but it does not say as much on the label. The candy was sold at retail locations in Virginia, Washington, Massachusetts, and California from January to April of this year.  The items have an expiration date of September 15 of next year.  Consumers are being advised to be on the lookout for lot code L113033249 and a bar code of 54000219 505504.  The candy bar comes in a gold foil package wrapped in black paper.

For people with allergies to milk, the product poses a threat of causing severe reactions.  No incidents of this nature have been reported at this time, and the seven retailers and single distributor of the chocolate bars have been informed of what’s going on.  11 cases in total were found to be compromised.

Cafe Tasse discovered the defect in Belgium, but many of the candy bars had already been imported into the United States by the Wellesley, Massachusetts-based Belgium’s Chocolate Source.  All the inventory that was found to be improperly packaged has since been destroyed by the company.

Customers can return the chocolate bars to the store for a full refund. They are also being advised to get in contact with the importer, as opposed to the distributor, should they have any questions or concerns.

The undeclared presence of walnuts, a known allergen, has prompted Whole Foods Market Incorporated to issue a voluntary recall for cupcake variety packs. The cupcakes affected by this recall are the carrot cake cupcakes included in six pack variety cupcake packages distributed for sale in Whole Foods Supermarkets throughout the Northern California region. The cupcakes were packaged in transparent plastic clamshell containers that contain six cupcakes in a variety of flavors including chocolate, red velvet, and vanilla as well as carrot cake. Only the carrot cake cupcakes contain walnuts, so packages of cupcakes not containing any carrot cake cupcakes are not affected by this recall. Packages of cupcakes that contain walnuts not listed on the packages’ ingredients labels were packaged with an expiration date earlier than May 10, 2012 for sale at Whole Foods retail stores in San Jose, Santa Rosa, Palo Alto, Sonoma, Los Altos, Mill Valley, Novato, Folsom, and Lafayette. Consumers with walnut allergies who consume the carrot cake cupcakes affected by this recall may become severely or even deathly ill. The products currently on the shelves at Whole Foods are labeled with corrected ingredients lists reflecting the presence of walnuts in the carrot cake variety of cupcakes. The supermarket chain has posted recall notices in stores where the products affected by this recall were sold. Consumers desiring more information about this recall can contact Whole Foods directly, and anyone who has purchased an affected package of cupcakes may return it to the store for a full refund.

Hospira Incorporated, a pharmaceutical manufacturer specializing in injectable medications and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, has issued a voluntary recall for a single production lot of injectable morphine sulfate. This recall has been announced at the urging of the United States Food and Drug Administration due to a labeling error that could result in a patient receiving an incorrect dosage of the drug. Hospira Incorporated has received two consumer complaints that its Morphine Sulfate Injection USP, 4 milligram/milliliter (C-II), 1 milliliter fill in 2.5 milliliter Carpuject, NDC 0409-1258-30 syringes contained more than the 1 milliliter volume indicated on the label affixed to product’s packaging. The company currently believes this error to be limited to a single production line. The product is a glass cartridge prefilled with morphine sulfate for use with the Carpucet Syringe system. The consequences of a morphine overdose can be deadly. Symptoms of a morphine overdose include low blood pressure and slowed or suspended breathing patterns, also known as respiratory depression. The lot affected by this recall was distributed to hospitals in several states across the country, including: Indiana, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Hawaii, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Arizona and Virginia. The production lot number affected by this recall is 10830LL, and morphine cartridges included in this production lt are stamped with the expiration date of April 1, 2013. Consumers seeking more information can call the Hospira Medical Communications hotline, open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

The danger of a fall hazard has once again reared its head.

Salsa Cycles has announced a recall of their Salsa Minimalist bicycle racks.  Salsa, which is one of the brand names owned by the Bloomington, Minnesota-based Quality Bicycle Products, announced the recall when it was discovered that the product has defective L-shaped mounting straps.  These straps, which secure the rack to the front of the bike when a rider has the bike in use, pose a danger of breaking.  This would cause the rack to fall off of the bicycle, potentially getting entangled beneath the moving bicycle and creating a fall hazard in the process.

Two people have sustained minor injuries as a result of this incident taking place.  Around 1,100 bike racks are affected by the recall.  Defective items are all those Salsa Minimalist racks bought after January of last year.  These items were available on the internet and at numerous bicycle shops across the country until just this past March.  They cost around $80 to purchase.

Consumers should cease riding their bicycle until the rack can be removed from the front of it.  Riders are being advised to get in touch with Salsa in order to get an inspection and a remounting.  If customers prefer, they can instead get a refund on the product.

A potential fall hazard that could affect infants has led to the recall of a children’s product.

The recall was announced by the Chicago-based importer and distributor Kolcraft Enterprises.  It pertains to two products: the Kolcraft Tender Vibes and Light Vibes bassinets.  The Tender Vibes bassinets have model numbers KB021-ARC, KB022-VER,  and KB039-CMR1.  KB043-BNT1 is the only model number of Light Vibes bassinet affected by the recall. Produced in China between July 2008 and May 2010, around 46,000 units are affected by this recall.

These items have latches that keep the bassinet portion of the product secured to a metal frame.  At issue is the fact that these latches can look like they have been locked in place when in reality they are not.  Without the bassinet tightly secured, it can fall, taking the infant inside with it.  Kolcraft has been made aware of seven such reports of detachment, including one incident where an infant suffered a bruised cheek after the bassinet fell.

The bassinets sold from $50 to $100 between July 2008 and this month.  They were available at a number of children’s specialty stores across the country during that time.  Parents and guardians are being advised to find an alternative sleeping environment for their children and to contact Kolcraft to obtain a repair kit along with instructions on using said kit.

More than 120 Dodge Ram pickup trucks have been recalled due to an improperly sized spare tire at the request of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Chrysler Group Limited Liability Company has issued this voluntary recall for model year 2012 Dodge Ram trucks manufactured between January 5, 2012 and January 6, 2012 because specific vehicles have been equipped with spare tires that are not sized in accordance with the specifications printed on the truck’s informational label, causing these vehicles to be in violation of the federal safety specifications regulating tire selection and rims. An improperly sized spare tire, if installed on the vehicle, could potentially activate the vehicle’s electronic stability control system unexpectedly, a situation that could decrease the effectiveness of the system increasing the risk that the vehicle will become involved in an accident that may result in serious injury or death. Chysler will begin notifying owners of affected vehicles of this potential safety issue, and authorized Dodge dealerships will inspect vehicles and make any necessary corrections required to make the vehicle compliant with federal safety specifications at no cost to the consumer.

As a personal injury attorney in Fresno, I hope that these potentially unsafe vehicles will be repaired quickly and completely to reduce the risk that this issue will lead to automotive collisions. If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident related to a defective automobile, please consider contacting a Fresno car accident lawyer.

In cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Goshen Coach has issued a recall for more than 2,800 transit buses due to a wheelchair lift platform defect that might cause passenger injuries. Transit buses affected by this recall are model year 2007 and 2011 Goshen GC II, G-Force, GCII Connection, Pacer, Pacer LTD, Pacer LS, and Sentinel buses equipped with Vista-2 and Braun Century-2 wheelchair lifts. These wheelchair lifts may have been improperly manufactured, leading to an unexpectedly low durability. With frequent use, the wheelchair lift platform’s outer barrier roll stop latch may become misshapen or dented causing it to fail. If the roll stop latch is defeated, a wheelchair bound passenger being lifted may roll off, leading to a fall risk, especially if the wheelchair ramp is elevated when the roll stop latch fails. Goshen will begin notifying owners of affected transit buses shortly. Vehicles equipped with these wheelchair lift platforms can be returned to authorized Braun dealerships, where the potentially defective components will be repaired for free. Consumers in search of more information about this recall can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline and reference 12V199000.

As a car accident attorney in Bakersfield, I hope that this safety recall is completed quickly to reduce the risk that anyone will be injured by this potential defect. If you or someone you love has been harmed by a defective vehicle, please consider contacting a Bakersfield personal injury lawyer.