Defective & Dangerous Products

• Bard Composix Kugel Mesh Patch Recall

  Tiffany Farr | January 20, 2007 1:33 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  On March 31, 2006, the FDA announced a second recall of Davol, Inc.'s Bard Composix Kugel Mesh Patch. The Composix Kugel Mesh Patch is used to repair ventral (incisional) hernias caused by thinning or stretching of scar tissue that forms after surgery. The patch is placed behind the hernia defect through a small incision. The patch is then held open by a "memory recoil ring" that allows the...

• Toyotas With Potential Steering Problems Recalled

  Bob Carroll | January 20, 2007 7:14 AM | 0 CommentsPinellas, FL

  A defect in a motor vehicle that could make it impossible to steer makes you sit up and take notice.Toyota Recalls 533,000 Trucks for Failed Ball Joints By Joe Benton, ConsumerAffairs.ComToyota Motor Co. is recalling 533,000 trucks and SUVs because of possible steering and suspension problems caused by faulty ball joints.The recall marks a sudden shift in policy for the Japanese automaker after...

• More Puffs And More Nicotine - Big Tobacco "Improves" Its Delivery System

  Bob Carroll | January 19, 2007 6:56 AM | 0 CommentsPinellas, FL

  According to this International Herald Tribune story Big Tobacco is making each cigarette a bigger hit of Nicotine. One more reason for every Florida resident who believes cigarette smoking has caused a serious disease or condition to accept the invitation of the Florida Supreme Court to file an individual claim for damages. The deadline for filing a claim is fast approaching. Cigarettes...

• Consumer Reports Retracts Infant Car Seat Study

  IB Contributor | January 19, 2007 12:18 AM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  Consumer Reports magazine is now saying that the study it released earlier this month stating that most infant car seats failed when tested in high-speed vehicle crashes, is actually flawed.The magazine posted the retraction on its Web site, www.consumerreports.com, after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials pointed out that the side-impact tests were actually conducted...

• Manufacturer Expands Recall of Composix Kugel Mesh Patches

  John Ghezzi | January 18, 2007 3:20 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Davol/Bard and the FDA notified healthcare professionals of an expanded recall and withdrawal of Bard Composix Kugel Large Oval and Large Circle mesh patches. There is a risk that the ring welds could break under stress placed on these products during placement, which could potentially lead to patient complications such as abdominal pain, bowel perforation or chronic enteric fistulas.The...

• Foreign Object (Flesh w/Hair) Found in Prego Spaghetti

  IB Contributor | January 18, 2007 1:13 AM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  Email inquiry I received regarding an adultrated food product, followed by my answer:I found piece of flesh with hair in my prego spaghetti sauce. I'm working with the company but what type of lawyer would be used for that?My Answer:Unless you have suffered injury, in my opinion you are wasting your time if you are seeking to recover money. Campbell Soup Company is not likely to provide much in...

• Food Poisoning At Carl's Jr.

  IB Contributor | January 18, 2007 12:51 AM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  This is an email inquiry that I received about food poisoning followed by my answer:In the late evening of 10/18/06 my son Nicholas ate a hamburger at a Carl's Jr. in Orange County, California and within a few hours he became ill with severe abdominal cramps,vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and fever throughout the night. In the morning we took him to his Doctor who after a short examination asked...

• Cell Phone Fire Leaves Man in Critical Condition

  IB Contributor | January 18, 2007 12:17 AM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  Are you carrying a bomb around with you?On Saturday night, Luis Picaso, a 59-year-old man from Vallejo, Calif. Was in critical condition at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento after a cell phone caught fire in his pants, according to a report in consumeraffairs.com.The phone ignited Picaso's clothes as he was sleeping in a hotel room and he reportedly suffered burns on 50 percent of his body....

• Hoover Fined for Failure to Report Vacuum Fire Hazard

  Christina Cole | January 17, 2007 2:41 AM | 0 CommentsTupelo, MS

  Hoover Company Inc. has agreed to pay a $750,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that it failed in reporting to the U.S. consumer Product Safety Commission, the sale of vacuums with defective on/off switches that can overheat, causing the cleaner to catch on fire.In April 2005, Hoover recalled 636,000 Hoover Self-Propelled upright vacuums because of the defective on/off switches.In June...

• Sportsstuff Air Pumps Recalled

  Christina Cole | January 17, 2007 1:27 AM | 0 CommentsCherry Hill, NJ

  Approximately 11,000 air pumps are being recalled by Sportsstuff Inc. The pumps can overheat and explode when in use, posing a risk to the user and nearby consumers.Sportstuff has received 52 reports of the pumps exploding, 13 of them resulted in lacerations. Six of the incidents involved facial lacerations and one consumer has reported an eye injury.The recall is for products 2.5 PSI pumps with...