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Software problems are not a matter of 'if' but 'when.' Sooner or later you'll find yourself among the estimated eight million consumers per year who get snagged by trouble serious [...]

IN THIS SPECIAL SECTION Ladders Flat-panel HDTVs Laptop computers Report: Online security Hatchbacks & minivan Recalls Contact info How to use the Canada Extra section Every month, Canada Extra provides [...]

Toy recalls have been numerous and very public during the tenure of outgoing Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Ann Brown. But probably none has been more surprising than the spate [...]

If vehicle battery is discharged and voltage in electrical system drops due to incorrect software programming, the Airbag Control Unit (ACU) might not activate the air bag. Failure of air [...]

When certain nonrechargeable batteries are installed and the camera is connected to an AC adapter or docking station, battery could overheat and catch fire. Products: 679,000 5.1-megapixel cameras with 24x [...]

You might have gulped when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in May 2006 that it found benzene, a potent carcinogen, in some samples of five beverages at levels [...]

Might not turn off as programmed, causing unit to overheat, melt, and possibly catch fire. Products: 420,000 8-cup coffeemakers sold 3/04 through 4/06 at home-improvement and discount department stores for [...]

Under certain conditions, steering assembly could loosen or crack, possibly resulting in loss of control and crash. Models: 170,000 hybrid vehicles. Hazard may occur if steering wheel is turned forcefully [...]

Brake lights could fail or remain on, confusing other drivers and increasing risk of crash. Models: 362,000 cars, including '98-02 New Beetle and '99-02 Jetta. What to do: Have dealer [...]

Electric heating elements in front passenger seat could overheat, posing risk of fire and injury to occupants. Models: 111,700 sport-utility vehicles. DaimlerChrysler has received 32 reports of fires. What to [...]

The Food and Drug Administration has ordered drug companies to stop producing unapproved cough and cold remedies that contain carbinoxamine, an older sedating antihistamine linked to the deaths of 21 [...]

Front frame assembly (with foot rest) might not lock in place. If that happens, user who grabs bench to position himself could get fingers entrapped between the front and back [...]

Contain lead, which is toxic to child if ingested. Products: 55,000 choker-style necklaces sold 1/03 through 12/05 for about $1. Recalled necklaces are silver-colored hearts, crosses, and clovers that hang [...]

In unrelated actions, two makers of pricey wooden swing sets have issued safety alerts involving potentially faulty seats and bolts that could break, resulting in falls and, possibly, serious injuries. [...]

Bausch & Lomb is urging soft-contact-lens wearers to stop using its ReNu with MoistureLoc cleaning solution until the source of an infection that could lead to blindness is determined. At [...]

Cooper Tire & Rubber is recalling 288,000 tires, sold as aftermarket replacements, because they could lose air pressure or come apart, resulting in a possible crash. In three separate recalls, [...]

Three automakers have recalled close to 350,000 mostly late-model cars and sport-utility vehicles because of various fuel-tank-related problems that could lead to gasoline leaks and, possibly, fires. The largest recall [...]

Could overheat and catch fire. Products: 22,000 batteries sold 10/5/04 to 10/13/05 with various notebook computers, separately for $100 to $180, or provided as replacement part by service technicians during [...]

Some cribs were shipped with wrong-sized wood screws, which could come loose and allow part of mattress to fall, posing suffocation hazard to child. Products: 104,000 cribs sold 8/03 to [...]

GE is recalling thousands of its Monogram 36- and 48-inch stainless-steel gas ranges because of a flaw that could lead to an unexpected fire. The problem, affecting as many as [...]

Contain high levels of accessible lead, posing serious risk of lead poisoning to young children. Products: Approximately 6 million metal necklaces and zipper-pull attachments made in China for Stravina Operating [...]

Poses fire hazard. Products: 150,000 fans, model FTM140GG, sold 2/04 to 11/05 at discount department stores nationwide for $20 to $30. Gray tower fan has three speed settings and a [...]

One of two manufacturers of plastic pipes used to vent toxic emissions from home-heating systems into the atmosphere will no longer pay its share of the repair costs, thus burdening [...]

A malfunction in circuit board, battery connector, or both, could cause components to melt and smoke, posing fire and skin burn hazards. Products: 141,000 toys made by Dorel Juvenile Group [...]

An internal electrical short could cause battery cells to overheat and melt or char the plastic case, posing burn and fire hazards. Products: 85,000 rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs sold in [...]

Bunn-O-Matic, KitchenAid, and West Bend have issued alerts involving some 2.3 million automatic-drip coffeemakers for hazards including overheating, fire, and broken carafe handles that could lead to shattered glass and [...]

Combi USA is recalling 6,009 of its Avatar model 8100 series convertible child safety seats for a potentially serious safety flaw CONSUMER REPORTS warned about last May. The recall involves [...]

Guidant pacemakers Could fail. Products: 28,000 pacemakers made 11/25/97 to 10/26/00. Recall involves the following devices and model numbers: Pulsar models 0470, 0870, 0970, 0972, 1172, and 1272; Pulsar Max [...]

Problems have emerged with two top-rated blood-glucose monitors in our August issue: LifeScan's OneTouch UltraSmart and OneTouch Ultra. Two other LifeScan models may also be problematic. With the OneTouch Ultra, [...]

May have been assembled with defective electronic-control module that could overheat and cause fire. Products: 45,000 ATVs sold 8/04 to 2/05 at Polaris dealers nationwide, including the following: Model year [...]

Two deaths and dozens of product failures have led to the worldwide recall of tens of thousands of cardiac defibrillators implanted in patients susceptible to dangerous abnormal heart rhythms. The [...]

A faulty component in the condenser fan motor could short-circuit, causing the motor to overheat and catch fire. Products: 20,000 'French door' style refrigerators, sold 5/04 to 5/05. Sears stores [...]

Apple is warning iBook and PowerBook owners about fire hazard associated with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries designed for use with the notebook computers. In a worldwide alert involving 225,000 batteries, 128,000 [...]

Wheels could break or become damaged, causing rider to fall. Products: 297,000 scooters sold 9/03 to 11/04 at toy and discount stores for about $30. Product is non-motorized, two-wheel folding [...]

Friction could make parking brake ineffective. Models: 142,585 '99-021500 Series Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra; '01-05 2500 and 3500 Series Silverado and Sierra with manual transmission. What to do: Have [...]

Fuel-pump wires could overheat, causing engine to stall or fail to start. Models: 332,2021500 Series Suburban and Yukon XL What to do: Have dealer install new fuel pump. For more [...]

Center and passenger-side rear safety-belt anchors don't meet safety standards. Models: 22,115 wagons. What to do: Have dealer install center-belt anchor reinforcement plate. For information, call [...]

Whirlpool and General Electric have recalled 236,300 dishwashers sold in the past 18 months because they could overheat and catch fire. Some were sold under the Kenmore name. A GE [...]

Energie brand hooded youth sweaters Drawstrings pose strangulation hazard to child. Products: 157,300 sweaters sold 7/04 to 11/04 at retail stores nationwide for $15 to $25. Sweaters came in various [...]

'02-04 Ford Escape Throttle may stick and not decelerate as expected when foot is removed from accelerator pedal. Models: 474,000 sport-utility vehicles with 3.0-liter V6 engines (the entire production run). [...]

Could overheat, causing heat exchanger to crack, burn through, and ignite materials near furnace. Products: 226,000 silver-colored furnaces sold '95 to '00 as original equipment and as replacement furnaces in [...]

Various parts could break in use and injure user. Products: 680,000 Power Pro units (with and without 'Lat Tower') and 102,000 Ultimate fitness machines sold 1/95 to 4/04 via infomercials, [...]

After more than a dozen incidents involving overheated motors, some 30,500 Black Cat brand electric power washers have been recalled because of their potential to melt, catch fire, and expose [...]

Butane could spill from nozzle and pose fire hazard. Products: 101,557 utility lighters sold 10/1/03 to 9/1/04 at various retailers including Lowes, Bed Bath & Beyond, Yankee Candle stores, Barbeque [...]

Child-safety feature could malfunction, so that the hot-water faucet will not turn off. If so, child could be scalded. Products: 124,000 water dispensers sold 7/00 to 8/04 at Office Depot, [...]

Plastic feet could detach and pose choking hazard. Products: 7,279 chairs sold 5/03 to 9/18/04 for about $15. Chairs have article number 400.548.40 and supplier number (either 16592 or 17128) [...]

Pull-up drinking spout on water bottle could detach, posing choking hazard. Products: 13,000 lunch kits sold 7/04 to 9/04 for about $13. Kit consists of purple and blue insulated lunch [...]

Maytag's Neptune front-loading washer, introduced in 1997, has proven to be trouble-prone in recent years, with a repair rate significantly higher than that of any other front-loader brand we've rated [...]

In the largest action of its kind, Kyocera is recalling about 1 million of its cell-phone batteries because they may be unsafe counterfeits that could overheat, short-circuit, and cause skin [...]

Cap on water tank can unexpectedly and forcibly come off, possibly injuring users or bystanders. Products: 230,000 seven-foot inflatable Mylar rockets with plastic and foam fin section sold 1/04 through [...]