A Review of Safety Recalls In 2014

It is natural to expect that when you buy a product, it will be safe when it’s used as expected or according to its directions. Unfortunately, defective products are made and placed in the stream of commerce all the time, causing injury and death to too many consumers. The consequences of defective products can be significant.

In 2014, we saw a great deal of products get recalled for safety related reasons. Here are three of the largest recalls of 2014:

• General Motors: In the 2014 calendar year, GM issued a total of 84 separate recalls, affecting a total of nearly 26.6 million vehicles in the U.S., or nearly 30.1 million vehicles for export and including all of North America. This is one of the largest automotive recalls in history. A majority of the 2014 recalls were related to the ignition switch/key.

• Graco: The company first recalled 3.8 million seats because of defective buckles in February 2014, then added 400,000 more in March, and another 1.9 million in July. Collectively, the 6.1 million seats recalled over the latch problem comprise the largest recall of children’s car seats in U.S. history.

• Takata: Approximately 7.8 million vehicles are estimated to be affected by the recall of Takata airbags. The airbag recall was in response to complaints of inflators in the Takata bags exploding and throwing metal shrapnel at drivers and passengers.

The following organizations are responsible for protecting consumers from defective and/or dangerous products:

• Consumer Products: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has the responsibility of protecting consumers from unreasonable risk of serious injury or death from consumer products by alerting the public to products recalled  in the interest of consumer safety due to unreasonable risks of harm.

• Motor Vehicles: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation provides recall information including motor vehicles and related equipment, child safety seats, and tires.

• Medical and Cosmetic Related Products: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has jurisdiction over recalls involving drugs, vaccines, medical devices, blood and plasma products, veterinary products, other biologics and cosmetics.

• Food Products: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issues recalls on meat, poultry, and egg products, and the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues recalls on other food as well as pet food and animal feed. The latest information on food related recalls can be found on Foodsafety.gov.

• Boats: The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has jurisdiction over recalls and defects dealing with recreational boats and boating equipment.

• Environmental Products: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has jurisdiction over recalls involving pesticides, fungicides, rodenticides, and vehicle emission testing.

Lallande Law, PLC  handles defective and dangerous product cases throughout California. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed by a defective or dangerous product, please contact our office and learn how we can help.