Aspire and Aspire Lite, billed as herbal nutritional supplements, are being pulled from shelves because they contain amounts of a prescription drug.
Learn the details here.
Archive for February, 2008
Aspire supplement has undeclared drug
Friday, February 29th, 2008Honda recalls certain Acuras
Friday, February 29th, 2008Honda has issued two recalls covering certain models of its Acura.
Some of the vehicles have a wiper design defect that can lead to electrical problems.
Others have a power steering hose that can deteriorate over time from the high heat that occurs under the hood when the car is running.
The two recalls affect about 400,000 cars.
Recaro child seats have harness problems
Friday, February 29th, 2008Recaro child safety seats for automobiles are being recalled due to problems with their harness systems.
Models affected are the Signo and Como models. See the recall details by clicking here.
Another Fifth Third Bank phishing scam
Friday, February 29th, 2008Another phishing scam using a phony e-mail message from Fifth Third Bank is making the rounds in the area. The subject line is: “Scheduled security maintenance” and the message contains a link that takes the receipient to a bogus site designed to extract account numbers and other personal financial information. Just delete this e-mail if you get it. Here’s the text of the message:
Dear Fifth Third Bank customer,
Fifth Third Customer Service requests you to complete Commercial Banking Online Form. Completing the form is mandatory and must be done as soon as possible.
Click on the link below to start completing Commercial Banking Online Form:
http://www.53.com/isapidl/customerform/cbonline
Please do not reply to this email.
Crib safety advisory issued
Thursday, February 28th, 2008Federal safety officials are advising parents not to put blankets, pillows, comforters and other such items into cribs with infants due to the risk of death from suffocation.
Read the advisory here.
Some school buses being recalled
Thursday, February 28th, 2008Blue Bird/All American is recalling some All American school buses powered by rear-engined diesels because problems with a fuel line might lead to a fire.
For details, click here.
Furniture firm recalls cribs
Thursday, February 28th, 2008Munire Furniture is recalling about 24,000 cribs because their support systems are said to be a safety hazard.
See the recall notice here.
Ford recalls late-model Mustangs
Thursday, February 28th, 2008Ford is recalling more than 400,000 model year 2005 to 2008 Mustangs because the passenger-side airbags may pose the risk of neck injury to small women or large children riding in the seat with the safety belt unattached.
“During 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,” according to the Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Mustangs were made at the AutoAlliance International Inc. plant in Flat Rock, which has been producing Mustangs since 2004.
Described by Ford as a voluntary recall, dealer will reprogram the Mustang airbag restraint control module free of charge.
NHTSA notified Ford the air bag noncompliance on July 24, 2007.
Ford notified dealers of the recall last Friday and a recall was issued with a warning going out from Ford to Mustang owners Wednesday and today.
Ford also told dealers to stop demonstrating or delivering the Mustang “until they are updated with new software for the constraint control module.”
The automaker plans will notify affected Mustang owners to “take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealer for the software update. Ford will also instruct them to have all occupants wear their safety belts and move the passenger seat rearward away from the passenger air bag.
Mustang owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332 or NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.
State warns of foreclosure rescue scams
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008Michigan’s Office of Financial and Insurance Services (OFIS) warned Michigan citizens who are behind on their mortgage payments and facing a foreclosure to be on the lookout for foreclosure rescue scams
Foreclosure rescue scams often begin with a scam artist making an unsolicited offer to pay a homeowner’s past due mortgage payments and “rescue” them from foreclosure. The scam artist will have the homeowner sign over the deed to the house and promise them that they can stay in their house as a renter with the opportunity to buy back their home when their finances improve.
Scam artists will then obtain a new mortgage on the house at a higher value than the old loan and keep the difference between the new loan and the old loan. The scam artist has now stolen the homeowner’s equity in the property. Scammers will often walk away from the situation, stop paying the new mortgage and pocket all of the equity. The home will again go into foreclosure and the former homeowner, who is now the renter, will be forced to leave the property and has now permanently lost their house.
“With the foreclosure rate escalating across the country, scam artists are trying to take advantage of vulnerable consumers,” said OFIS Commissioner Ken Ross. “Michigan homeowners who may be facing a foreclosure should avoid any unsolicited offer to save their home through the mail, a newspaper or a telephone call and they should never sign a legal document that has any misleading statements or one that they do not fully understand. These bottom feeders are taking advantage of hard times and should be avoided at all cost.”
If Michigan homeowners believe they may have uncovered a foreclosure rescue scam, please contact OFIS toll-free at (877) 999-6442 or online at www.michigan.gov/ofis
If a homeowner is facing a possible foreclosure and would like professional advice on their situation they can contact one of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) approved housing counselors. For a list of HUD approved housing counselors in Michigan visit: www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm?webListAction=search&searchstate=MI
Nissan Murano tops crash-test ratings
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008The Nissan Murano has been judged the most crashworthy sport utility vehicle by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
You can find crash test ratings for all SUVs tested here.
Ironically, the Murano was recently the subject of a recall notice due to problems with its air bags.
Cell phone safety questioned (again)
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008Two new studies raise questions about the prolonged use of cell phones.
One stufy suggests that cell phone usage has a correlation with salivary gland cancer.
Another study finds that electromagnetic radiation from cell phones has some effect on skin tissue.
Maybe we all should use our cell phones to make an appointment with our doctors?
U-M issues customer satisfaction rankings
Monday, February 25th, 2008The University of Michigan recently released its American Customer Satisfaction Index for the last quarter of 2007 for various companies involved in retailing, finance and insurance and e-commerce.
Check out how your favorite store or business ranks here.
Wal-Mart and Home Depot hit all-time lows. Read the commentary of those who compiled the report here.
Motor homes have faulty wipers
Monday, February 25th, 2008Some Holiday Rambler and Monaco motor homes are part of a recall because the windshield wiper assemblies are faulty.
Details are here.
Hyosung cycles subject to recall
Monday, February 25th, 2008Some 2004 and 2005 Hyosung motorcycles are being recalled due to faulty gas cap gaskets that might cause leaking from the fuel tank.
Details may be found by clicking here.
Magnetic dartboards target of recall
Sunday, February 24th, 2008About 250,000 magnetic dartboards sold through Family Dollar stores are being recalled because they post choking and intestinal hazards to youngsters who might swallow the small parts.
Details of the recall may be found here.