[Recalls Page]

August 2008 Recalls and Product Safety News

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), FlagHouse Inc., of Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., is voluntarily recalling about 100 Yayita Baby Hammocks. The hammock can flip over, posing a serious fall hazard and strangulation hazard to infants who get entrapped in the seat’s restraint straps while upside down.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Bonne Bell Co., of Lakewood, Ohio, is voluntarily recalling about 945,000 Bonne Bell Children’s Cosmetics Accessory Bags. The metal clasps on the handle of the accessory bags contain excessive levels of lead, which is toxic if ingested and can cause adverse health effects.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging retailers across the country to protect the health and safety of babies by stopping sale and recalling nearly 900,000 dangerous Simplicity bassinets. Yesterday, CPSC warned parents, caregivers and consumers to immediately stop using convertible "close-sleeper/bedside sleeper" bassinets manufactured by Simplicity Inc., of Reading, Pa., due to a serious safety risk. Today, CPSC is announcing that six retailers have voluntarily agreed to recall the product and provide a refund or store credit to consumers who return the product to the store where purchased.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Habermaass Corp. Inc., of Skaneateles, N.Y., is voluntarily recalling about 118,000 Wooden Puzzles, Infant Rattles, Pacifier Holders, and Stroller Toys. The wooden rattles, pacifier holders, and stroller toys contain small pieces including glued on mirrors and/or prisms that can detach, posing a choking hazard to infants. The head of the ladybug puzzle pieces also poses a choking hazard.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Orioxi International Corp., of Brea, Calif., is voluntarily recalling about 43,000 Children’s Hooded Sweatshirts and Jackets. The sweatshirts and jackets have drawstrings through the hood which pose a strangulation hazard to young children. In February 1996, CPSC issued guidelines to help prevent children from strangling or getting entangled on the neck and waist drawstring in upper garments, such as jackets and sweatshirts.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents and caregivers to stop using convertible “close-sleeper/bedside sleeper” bassinets manufactured by Simplicity Inc., of Reading, Pa. CPSC has learned that on August 21, 2008, a 5-month-old girl from Shawnee, Kan. was strangled to death when she became entrapped between the bassinet’s metal bars. This is the second strangulation death CPSC has learned of in the close-sleeper bassinets. On September 29, 2007, a 4-month-old girl from Noel, Mo. became entrapped in the metal bars of the bassinet and died.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Regal Lager Inc., of Kennesaw, Ga., is voluntarily recalling about 44,000 Phil & Teds e3 Single Buggy, e3 Twin Buggy and sport v1 Single Buggy Strollers (an additional 425 e3 Twin Buggy Strollers were recalled on May 5, 2006). The stroller’s hinge locking mechanism poses a laceration hazard to the user folding and unfolding the strollers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Greenway Home Products, of Northwood, Ohio, is voluntarily recalling about 44,000 Countertop Water Dispensers. The internal heating element could overheat and drop molten metal through ventilation openings in the water dispenser’s base onto the countertop, posing a fire hazard. The internal heating element also poses a shock hazard to consumers who touch it through the vents.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), GIA Instruments, of Carlsbad, Calif., is voluntarily recalling about 8,000 Illuminator Polariscopes 415000 and 415. The polariscopes can have a ground wire missing, posing a risk of electrical shock to the user.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Lithonia Lighting, of Conyers, Ga., is voluntarily recalling about 1,400 Indoor Lighting Fixtures. The glass reflector can separate from the fixture and fall, posing a risk of injury to consumers below the fixture.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Goodman Company L.P., of Houston, Texas, is voluntarily recalling about 30,000 Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner/Heat Pump (PTAC) Units. The PTAC’s power cords can overheat, posing a burn or fire hazard.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), International Merchandising Service Inc. (IMS), of Fullerton, Calif., is voluntarily recalling about 210,000 Car Chargers Used with Power System Plus 3 Million Candlepower Spotlights. The car charger is incompatible with the spotlight’s battery, which can cause it to overcharge inside of a vehicle and pose a fire or burn hazard to consumers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), International Playthings Inc., of Parsippany, N.J., is voluntarily recalling about 10,000 Taggies™ Strollin’ Along Stroller Activity Bars. The shiny material on the elephant’s ear on the activity bar can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Sears, Roebuck and Co. of Hoffman Estates, Ill., is voluntarily recalling about 145,000 Kenmore and Kenmore Elite Coffee Makers. The wiring in the coffee maker can overheat, posing burn and fire hazards to consumers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), GCI Technologies Corp., of Edison, N.J., is voluntarily recalling about 7,500 Power Light Modules. Internal wiring in the module’s circuit boards is incorrectly installed, posing a risk of an electrical fire and burn hazards to consumers.

Portable gas generators, often used by consumers to restore power to their homes and businesses in the aftermath of a storm, produce high levels of deadly carbon monoxide (CO). CPSC warns consumers that generators should be used outdoors only, far from doors, windows, and vents that could allow CO to come indoors.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Venmar CES Inc., of Saskatoon, Canada, is voluntarily recalling about 3,400 Light Commercial Heat Recovery Ventilators. The motors in these units can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Cervélo SA, of Switzerland, is voluntarily recalling about 5,800 Wolf SL Carbon Fiber Bicycle Forks. The forks steerer can break during normal use, causing the rider to lose control, fall and suffer serious injuries.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Gardner Bender, of Milwaukee, Wis., is voluntarily recalling about 53,000 Electrical Wire Splices (also known as Butt Splice Connectors). When crimped, the splice can fail to hold the wires adequately together, posing a shock and fire hazard to consumers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Thane International Inc., of La Quinta, Calif., is voluntarily recalling about 134,000 H20 Portable Hand Held Steam Cleaners. Steam can escape from the handle and trigger of the steam cleaner, posing a burn hazard to consumers.

More than 50 million children are headed back to school this fall and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents to pay special attention to safety this school year. Whether it’s wearing a helmet while they ride their bikes, watching out for dangerous drawstrings in children’s jackets, or checking the safety of school soccer goals, CPSC has important safety tips that can keep children from being sidelined with injuries.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Electra Bicycle Company, LLC, of Vista, Calif., is voluntarily recalling about 1,500 Amsterdam Bicycles (about 9,500 bicycles were recalled on July 22, 2008). The interior alignment tabs of the bicycle’s chainguard can be pushed against the chain causing it to derail, which poses a risk of injury to riders.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Hobbico Inc., of Champaign, Ill., is voluntarily recalling about 11,000 Batteries Used In Radio-Controlled Helicopter Kits. The rechargeable battery can overheat and catch fire while charging, igniting nearby combustible materials. This poses a fire hazard to consumers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Gardener’s Supply Co., of Burlington, Vt., is voluntarily recalling about 2,000 Flame Weeders. The two-piece brass control valve can separate between the flame weeder and the propane tank and allow propane to leak from the tank. This poses fire and burn hazards to consumers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Rossignol Ski Co., of Park City, Utah, is voluntarily recalling about 3,500 pairs of 2007 Rossignol HC Snowboard Bindings. The t-nuts that attached the buckles to the straps on the snowboard’s bindings can detach, posing a fall hazard to consumers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Chelsea & Scott Ltd., of Lake Bluff, Ill., is voluntarily recalling about 600 Sun Smarties™ Children’s Board Skirts. The paint on the grommets of the skirts contains an excess level of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Cooper Lighting Inc., of Peachtree City, Ga., is voluntarily recalling about 9,000 “Sure-Lite” and “AtLite” Exit and Emergency Lights. The lights can malfunction and not stay illuminated in the event of a power failure. This could result in a failure to provide adequate lighting to guide building occupants to an exit in an emergency.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Fisher-Price, of East Aurora, NY, is voluntarily recalling about 15,000 Learning Pots & Pans™ Toys. Missing screws in the blue toy pan can cause the clear plastic cover to come loose and release small balls, presenting a choking hazard to young children.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Atico International USA Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (for the Crofton® model) (East West Distributing Co., of Deerfield Ill. distributed the Signature Gourmet™ model), is voluntarily recalling about 124,000 Signature Gourmet and Crofton® Personal Blenders. While placing the cup on or off the base of the blender, the blender can be inadvertently turned on, activating the blade. This can pose a serious laceration hazard to consumers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Progress Lighting, of Greenville, S.C., is voluntarily recalling about 6,000 Pendant-Style Ceiling-Mounted Indoor Light Fixtures. The ceiling-mount assembly that supports the light fixture can fail, causing the fixture to unexpectedly fall and injure consumers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Lowe’s Home Centers, Inc., of North Wilkesboro, N.C. and Lowe’s HIW, Inc., of Tukwila, Wash., are voluntarily recalling about 24,000 Perfect Flame Double Lid Four Burner Gas Grills. The cooking chamber of the grill can melt and/or ignite, posing a risk of fires and burn injuries to consumers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Raw Blue Sportswear, of Moonachie, NJ, is voluntarily recalling about 5,740 Hooded Sweatshirts. The sweatshirts have drawstrings through the hood which pose a strangulation hazard to young children.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Request Jeans, of New York, N.Y., is voluntarily recalling about 1,200 Drawstring Hoodies. The hoodies have a drawstring through the hood which can pose a strangulation hazard to children.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Kids with Character LLC, of New York, N.Y., is voluntarily recalling about 1,200 BongoCheetah Girls Jackets. The garments have a drawstring through the hood which can pose a strangulation hazard to children.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that nine firms have agreed to pay a total of $355,000 in civil penalties. The penalties settle allegations that the firms knowingly failed to report to the CPSC immediately, as required by federal law, that their children’s hooded sweatshirts, jackets, or sweaters were sold with drawstrings at the hood and neck. These products, which the firms eventually recalled, pose a strangulation hazard that can cause death to children.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Look Cycle USA, of San Jose, Calif., is voluntarily recalling about 80,000 (40,000 pairs) KéO Bicycle Pedals. The steel axle inside the pedal can break, posing a fall hazard to cyclists.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Harbor Freight Tools, of Camarillo, Calif., is voluntarily recalling about 58,000 Chicago Electric Halogen Work Lights. The halogen work lights can overheat and melt, and pose a risk of fire and electrical shock to consumers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), DEWALT Industrial Tool Co., of Towson, Md., is voluntarily recalling about 14,000 DEWALT DC608 Cordless Brad Nailers. The nailer can operate when the lock-off (safety) is in the locked position. Also, the nailer can operate when the trigger is not pulled and the contact trip is depressed. The unexpected ejection of a nail poses a serious injury hazard to consumers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Baby Appleseed, of City of Industry, Calif., is voluntarily recalling about 500 Davenport Cribs. The cribs fail to meet the federal safety standards for cribs. The cribs have a two mattress support system. The secondary mattress support, used for the lowest position, does not meet the full 26 inch minimum height in its lowest position, allowing children inside to crawl over the railing, posing a fall hazard.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Mother Hubbard’s Cupboards, of Toronto, Canada, is voluntarily recalling about 1,300 cribs. The cribs fail to meet the federal safety standards. The distance between the mattress support bracket in the lowest position and the top of the side rail in the highest position is less than the required 26 inches, posing a fall hazard to children who climb over the railing.