North Carolina Product Liability Blog : North Carolina Product Liability Lawyer & Attorney : D. Hardison Wood : Toy Safety, Child Restraint, Car Seats

Ford has issued a recall involving 2005-2008 Mustangs due to air bag non complaince issue.

Make / Models :		Model/Build Years:
FORD / MUSTANG		2005-2008
Recall Number:	08V082000
Summary:
FORD IS RECALLING 434,593 MY 2008 MUSTANG VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH ONE OF THE NECK INJURY REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, "OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION," FOR AN UNBELTED 5TH PERCENTILE FEMALE SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WHILE IT IS IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITION.
Consequence:
DURING AN AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT, IF A SMALL FEMALE IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT IS NOT WEARING THE SAFETY BELT, AND HAS THE SEAT IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITION, THERE MAY BE AN INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR A NECK INJURY.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT FEBRUARY 28, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332 OR THROUGH EMAIL TO WWW.OWNERCONNECTION.COM.
Notes:
FORD RECALL NO. 08C02. CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION¿S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

If you have a Ford please take note. The National Highway Safety Administration announced certain Ford vehicles pose a fire risk due to malfunctioning cruise controls.

WASHINGTON -- The National Highway Safety Administration today urged owners of more than 4 million unrepaired Ford Motor Co. vehicles that are at risk of fire because of a defective cruise control deactivation switch to "immediately" get it fixed.

The Detroit News reported Monday that Ford won't have an adequate supply of parts to repair trucks and vans until June.

Ford has urged owners to take vehicles into dealerships to get their cruise control deactivated as an interim fix until it has enough parts on hand to fix the cruise control.

Ford expanded its recall by 3.6 million vehicles last August, but NHTSA has continued to receive complaints of fires -- about 60 since then.

In a statement, NHTSA said: "Many dealers will perform this as a 'drive through' service so owners do not have to leave their vehicles at the dealership or schedule an appointment in advance. Failure to have the switch disconnected could lead to a vehicle fire at any time, whether or not the key is in the ignition, and whether or not owners use the cruise control system. The safety agency said the fire danger is present regardless of the age of the vehicle, and could even occur while the vehicle is parked and unattended."

Ford has had seven separate recalls since 1999 of a total of 9.6 million vehicles, including 220,000 vehicles re-recalled earlier this month.

Combined, the campaigns represent one of the largest recalls in U.S. history.

The $21 Texas Instruments switches were installed in 16 million Ford vehicles over a decade before the automaker stopped using them in 2002.

Continue Reading...

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

We have been hearing about and have been contacted about  car fires. Now it appears the government is investigating fires in certain GM SUVs.

The government is investigating reports of engine fires in General Motors’ full-size sport utility vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has received two reports of fires on 2007 model year Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs.
Both reports allege that the vehicles were parked in a home garage with the engine shut off when the fires occurred, causing significant property damage.
The investigation, which also includes the 2007 GMC Yukon SUV, involves about 423,000 SUVs. Read the article

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks

It seems that  555 people, which includes over 100 children, died in all terrain vehicle (ATV) accidents in 2006. Officials have said that they expect the number to increase as more hospitals and coroners report information. The Consumer Product Safety Commission also published in their annual report that and additional 146,600 people have been treated in emergency rooms for their  ATV-related injuries of which more than a quarter were children.

Consumer groups and parents who have lost children in crashes have complained for years about the safety of the popular off-road vehicles.
The industry contends it's not the ATV but the driver that's the problem. "ATVs have never been shown to be an unsafe product, but there have been bad decisions made by people sitting on the seat," said Mike Mount, a spokesman for the California-based Specialty Vehicle Institute of America.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Nissan announced a recall involving the air bag component. If you believe your vehicle might be affected by the recall  make sure to contact your auto dealership. This recall involves the potential for an airbag to fail to deploy when involved in a crash.

Make / Models :         Model/Build Years:          INFINITI / EX35     2008      NISSAN / MURANO     2009 Manufacturer : NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. Mfr's Report Date : FEB 12, 2008 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 08V066000 N/A NHTSA Action Number: N/A

Component: AIR BAGS

Potential Number Of Units Affected : 16365

Summary: NISSAN IS RECALLING 16,365 MY 2008 INFINITI EX35 AND MY 2009 NISSAN MURANO VEHICLES. DUE TO INCORRECT SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING, THE AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT (ACU) MAY CAUSE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG NOT TO OPERATE AS DESIGNED IF THE VEHICLE BATTERY BECOMES SIGNIFICANTLY DISCHARGED.

Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN THE PASSENGER AIR BAG NOT INFLATING IN A CRASH IN WHICH IT WAS DESIGNED TO DO SO, AND INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ACU IN AFFECTED VEHICLES. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING FEBRUARY 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200 OR NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

Notes: CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

We post about safety recalls involving automobiles..but you may wonder what are they and what do they entail? Here is some information about what safety recalls are from the Office of Defects Investigation.

What does it mean when a manufacturer initiates a safety recall involving vehicles or items of motor vehicle equipment?

A safety recall involving a motor vehicle or an item of motor vehicle equipment can be independently conducted by a manufacturer or ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In either case, the manufacturer must file a public report describing the safety-related defect or noncompliance with a Federal motor vehicle safety standard, the involved vehicle/equipment population, the major events that resulted in the recall determination, a description of the remedy, and a schedule for the recall. NHTSA monitors each safety recall to ensure the manufacturers provide owners safe, free, and effective remedies according to the Safety Act and Federal regulations. Manufacturers are obligated to attempt to notify owners of recalled products. For vehicles, that means manufacturers merge their own records of vehicle purchasers with current state vehicle registration information. For equipment, where state registration records do not exist, manufacturers are obligated to notify their distribution chain and known purchasers of the recalled equipment. However, even if you do not receive a notification, if your vehicle, child seat, or other item of equipment is involved in a safety recall, the manufacturer is obligated to provide a free remedy.

Continue Reading...

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Something we may not link commonly link together are upholstered furniture and home fires. However, home fires involving upholstered furniture can spread more quickly. The CPSC took action on this very fact and issued the following statement:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted unanimously (2-0) to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) on a new mandatory standard to address residential upholstered furniture fires.

The goal of the proposed standard is to prevent ignition or slow the spread and intensity of upholstered furniture fires. These fires cost the U.S. about $1.6 billion each year. CPSC staff estimates the proposed standard, once fully effective, would prevent an estimated 100 deaths and 130 injuries every year.

“Fires involving upholstered furniture are a leading cause of fire-related deaths in U.S. homes,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord. “Stopping a furniture fire in its tracks or slowing its spread would buy consumers precious time to get out of their homes.”

Under the proposal, manufacturers could meet the performance standard by using smolder-resistant cover fabrics or interior fire resistant barriers to protect the furniture’s internal filling material which is the primary fuel in an upholstered furniture fire.

The CPSC’s objective is to reduce the fire risk in upholstered furniture without requiring the use of fire retardant chemicals. Manufacturers will not be required to use chemicals to meet the proposed standard. In its environmental assessment, CPSC staff projects most manufacturers and importers would likely choose options that do not involve fire- retardants in fabrics or filling materials.

“CPSC is now on track to develop a mandatory safety rule that will save lives and protect consumers,” added Acting Chairman Nord.

An NPR is the second step in the agency’s three step rulemaking process.

Read More

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks