Protect Consumer Justice » Buyer Beware

In another blow to Toyota, company pulls Lexus SUV from the market after Consumer Reports says vehicle is potentially dangerous

eric — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:45:17 +0000

Toyota pulled its luxury division SUV from the market Tuesday after Consumer Reports magazine issued a “don’t buy” warning and revealed that the vehicle is prone to potentially dangerous fishtailing while cornering at high speeds.

The decision comes as the auto giant continues to grapple with a separate slate of troubles with its vehicle fleet involving sudden unintended accelleration that prompted a massive recall and government investigations.

The latest blow involved a single vehicle, the high-end Lexus GX 460 SUV. The consumer watchdog organization reported in an article posted on its website that the SUV would swerve badly while attempting to slow heading into a corner during routine tests at the magazine’s testing facility in Connecticut. For only the second time in a decade, Consumer Reports issued a “don’t buy” warning to its readers.

In a video that accompanies the article, the SUV can been seen with its rear end swerving badly during the cornering manuever involving the driver lifting off the accelerator to reduce speed heading into a turn. The magazines editors say that in a real-world situation, such as a driver entering a freeway exit ramp at too high a speed, that sort of performance could lead to a potential rollover accident. Consumer Reports has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the problem.

The “don’t buy” designation marked the first time since 2001 that the magazine has issued such a warning to consumers. The last car to be hit by that black mark was the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited.

Toyota initially responded to the magazine’s report with an on-line statement expressing concern over the results of the test, but saying their engineers never encountered the problem when conducting similar tests. The statement said the auto giant would try to duplicate the test, quickly evaluate the results and “determine if appropriate steps need to be taken.”

In the meantime, the company statement said, “please keep in mind that the 2010 GX 460 meets or exceeds all federal government testing requirements. Customer safety and satisfaction remain our highest priorities. We take the Consumer Reports’ test results seriously and appreciate Consumer Reports bringing it to our attention.”

But later in the day, as a firestorm of media attention and cutomer complaints began to grow, Toyota took further action and pulled the SUV from the market until tests can confirm what changes might need to be made to ensure the safety of the vehicle.

“At this time we have asked our dealers to temporarily suspend sales of the 2010 GX 460,” Mark Templin, the group vice president and general manager, told the New York Times.

–Eric Bailey

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Graco recalls strollers that caused amputations

jg — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:59:08 +0000

Graco Children’s Products has recalled 1.5 million Passage, Alano and Spree strollers because of injuries caused by hinges on the canopy. A U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announcement of the recall said, “Graco has received seven reports of children placing their fingers in the stroller’s canopy hinge mechanism while the canopy was being opened or closed, resulting in five fingertip amputations.” Among the retailers that sold the strollers are Babies R Us, Target, Kmart, Sears and Burlington Coat Factory.

Photo of the hinge in question, taken from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website

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Gas pedal problems cause another massive Toyota recall

jg — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:04:34 +0000

Los Angeles Times: Toyota Motor Corp. will recall some 2.3 million vehicles, including Corollas and Camrys, because of a problem with the gas pedal that can cause unintended acceleration. Toyota has already recalled more than four million vehicles because of a different gas pedal problem. About 1.7 million vehicles are affected by both recalls.

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A scientist weighs in on cell phone cancer risks

jg — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:30:56 +0000

John Timmer writes the regulation under consideration in San Francisco “actually a reasonable approach given the current state of the science,” while he says the bill proposed in Maine “is spectacularly ill-informed.” Timmer examines the research and concludes: “We can’t currently know whether there are [brain cancer] risks following decades of exposure [to cell phones].”

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Maine legislator wants cell phones to carry cancer warnings

jg — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:19:28 +0000

Earlier this month we noted San Francisco officials are considering whether the city should be the first in the country to require cell phone sellers to provide information about the amount of radiation each phone emits. Now we have an Associated Press report that a Maine legislator, Democrat Andrea Boland, “wants to make the state the first to require cell phones to carry warnings that they can cause brain cancer.”

From the AP story:

Under Boland’s bill, manufacturers would have to put labels on phones and packaging warning of the potential for brain cancer associated with electromagnetic radiation. The warnings would recommend that users, especially children and pregnant women, keep the devices away from their head and body.

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San Francisco considering cell phone warnings

jg — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:36:59 +0000

Although it’s not clear that radiation from cell phones creates any health hazard, San Francisco may become the first city in the country to require cell phone sellers to provide information about the amount of radiation each phone emits. The Federal Communications Commission says all wireless phones sold in the U.S. are safe, and offers considerable information on the subject of radiofrequency (RF) energy. But there are those who believe the FCC’s regulations aren’t strong enough.

Heather Knight of the San Francisco Chronicle reports SF mayor Gavin Newsom supports the proposal by the city’s Department of the Environment that would require retailers to label cell phones with radiation emission data.

“The information exists, but not at the point of sale,” he said. “If we prevail, and I believe we will prevail, other cities will follow suit.”

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors would have to approve any requirement imposed on cell phone retailers. The issue has not yet advanced to the board.

According to Knight:

Other ideas being discussed at the [environment] commission are encouraging the school district to ban cell phone use in elementary schools because children are more susceptible to radiation and requiring that all cell phones be sold with a headset so radiation is farther away from the brain.

Cell phone radiation statistics are available through the technology website CNET and are also available from the Environmental Working Group.

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Male sexual enhancement pills could backfire

eric — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:43:02 +0000

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced a nationwide recall of products sold as “dietary supplements” intended to enhance male sexual performance.

Marketed by Atlas Operations, Inc., the products are sold under the names Rock Hard, Sexual Surge, Love Fuel, Red and Hot Sex. They contain Sulfoaildenafil, an analogue of Sildenafil.

The active drug ingredient, which is not listed on the product label, can be particularly hazardous to men taking nitroglycerin, and could lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Consumers with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease are at particular risk.

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