Defective Products – Keeping up with Product Recalls

As a consumer, keeping up with product recalls can be a daunting task.  2007 saw a record level of product recalls, most notably the 25 million toy recalls that tarnished the toy industry and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reputations.  What was the CPSC’s reaction to this spike in recalls?  Nancy Nord, acting chairman of the CPSC blamed the media for “near-hysteria levels” of coverage, adding that “consumer products are safer today than they have ever been.”

An Agency Out of Touch?

Consumer Reports published a response to some of Nord’s comments, which beg the question – is the CPSC out of touch?  Do they really understand the impact these recalls have on consumer confidence, and do they appreciate the difficulty that many American families have keeping up with so many recalled products?

While Nord asserted that recalls show the system is working, Consumer Reports pointed out that recalls are reactionary, and don’t guarantee that unsafe products are kept out of our homes.  CR cites a sad example, where a design flaw in Graco and Simplicity cribs was responsible for two infant deaths and 7 entrapments.  However, even after the widely-publicized recall, only 45,000 requests for a repair kit were received by the manufacturers.  That’s a response rate of only 4.5%, which means that 95.5% of the defective cribs are still out in American households.  How many of these cribs will end up being given away or sold at a garage sale to an unsuspecting family?  The lackluster consumer response rate to serious recalls only highlights this gaping flaw in our government’s oversight.

Nord was equally unmoved by the millions of toys recalled for excessive levels of lead last year.  However, just because no children died as a result of the tainted toys does not mean that consumers have not been affected.  Lead is easy for small children to ingest, and is not a substance that kills or injures its victims quickly.  It can accumulate in the blood and organs, slowly causing organ damage and impairing mental function.  With over 300,000 American children affected by excessive levels of lead in their bodies, Nord’s dismissive attitude about lead toy recalls isn’t just depressing – it borders on negligent.

Add to this the fact that the CPSC is prevented by law from revealing details of pending investigations or consumer complaints until it receives manufacturer approval, which doesn’t always happen.  We have to ask:  does the CPSC exist to protect consumers, or manufacturers?

Protect Yourself – Keeping up with Product Recalls

It isn’t easy to keep up with all the recalled products out there, but the good news is that government websites make it easier than in years past to access recall information. 

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) database contains information about a wide variety of recalled products, and can be accessed from their website. You’ll have to enter search criteria to view recalls – and there are lots of options.  Alternately, you can view all recalls for a given time period.  For example, right now the website contains links to a list of January 2008 and December 2007 recalls.  Clicking on these links will display a list of recalled products, with a brief description for each.  You’ll have to click on the link for each recalled product to view detailed information and pictures. 

You can also view information about a specific type of recall.  For example, if you want to view all choking hazard recalls, go to the CPSC Recalls and Product Safety News page, click on the “Hazard” link, select “Choking” from the list of hazard options, and then click the “Find” button. This is a quick and easy way to view all product recalls that involve choking.  It is also possible to do searches by Product Type, Company, and Product Description.

If you’d like to receive RSS feeds, Podcasts, MP3 files or email notifications about recalls, you can sign up at the CPSC website.  From the same Recalls and Product Safety News page, look on the left-hand toolbar for the links to these various download and notification options.

Comprehensive Recall Information

The most comprehensive source of recall information on the web can be found at the www.Recalls.gov website, which consolidates recall information for six government agencies.  You can easily access recall information for:

• Consumer Products (from the CPSC)
• Food, Medicine, and Cosmetics (from the FDA)
• Motor Vehicles and Car Seats (from the NHTSA)
• Environmental Products (from the EPA)
• Meat and Poultry Products (from the USDA)
• Boats and Boating Safety (from the US Coast Guard)

From the Recalls.gov website you can also sign up for recall email notification from three agencies:  CPSC, FDA, and the USDA.

The Houston based firm of Vujasinovic & Beckcom L.L.P. is not intimidated by domineering manufacturers who refuse to accept responsibility for the injuries and deaths that occur due to their products’ defects and their own negligence. Our experienced attorneys understand that you placed trust in these companies the moment that you paid for the product or service the companies provided. If you or someone you love has been injured or killed by a defective or dangerous product, and you feel the manufacturer is liable for the damages, contact the attorneys at Vujasinovic & Beckcom today

Vujasinovic & Beckcom P.L.L.C
1001 Texas Avenue, Suite 1020
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: 713.224.7800
Fax: 713.224.7801

Vujasinovic & Beckcom P.L.L.C
1001 Texas Avenue, Suite 1020
Houston, TX 77002

Phone: 713.224.7800
Fax: 713.224.7801