Consumer Advocate

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has made a major recall that can affect thousands of people in the South Florida community. The Commission has recalled over one million pool and hot tub covers. The covers, which sit at the bottoms of pools and hot tubs, have been recalled amid concerns that the drains had not been properly tested.

Because the drains were not properly tested, they pose both a drowning and entrapment risk to swimmers. Drains are expected to have a grate across the top, but in an effort to prevent entrapment, may grates are raised a little bit. The purpose of the raised gate is to draw water from all sides and the top of the pool or hot tub, which makes it more difficult for the body to cover the entire drain, thus making it more difficult for a swimmer to become stuck. It is unknown whether the recalled drains have the raised grates. Additionally, a number of recalled drains contained improper safety ratings.

Pool drains have over 500 pounds of vacuum force that can hold swimmers underwater until they drown. These drains are especially dangerous to children. The models that have been recalled by the Commission include A&A Aquastar, Color Match, Custom Model Products, Rising dragon, and Waterway. The Commission recommends homeowners and pool operators contact the maker of the drain cover to see if any further action is needed.

Risk of drowning prompts massive drain cover recall, www.abc.com May 28, 2011

On May 4, 2011, General Motors Co. recalled 154,112 of its popular Chevrolet Cruze cars in the United States and Canada amid claims that the steering shift was not properly installed. GM stated that more than 120,000 of the recalled cars would also be inspected to “ensure the transmission shift linkage was properly installed.” GM’s Vice President of Global Quality stated that “very few” of the vehicles will have either of the problems and GM’s new quality process changes will ensure that the errors do not reoccur.

The issue with the wider steering shaft in the Cruze was discovered when a customer lost control in a parking lot and the Cruze’s automatic transmission issue was discovered when customers brought their cars in to be fixed under the warranty. There have been no reports of accidents or injuries resulting from the Cruze recall. Regarding the recall, “Nothing’s exploding. No one’s in danger,” Aaron Bragman, an analyst with IHS automotive, stated.

The recalled cars were manufactured in GM’s Lordstown, Ohio plant between the 2010 summer and April 21. The Ohio plant completed changes on April 21 that prevent the issue from reoccurring, including use of different tools and a change in procedure. This recall comes one month after 2,100 Cruze cars were recalled for an improperly fastened steering wheel.

GM recalls 2011 Cruze cars to inspect steering shaft, www.sun-sentinel.com May 5, 2011.

Articles Posted in Consumer Advocate

Over One Million Pool Drains Recalled For Drowning Risk

GM Recalls Over 150,000 Chevrolet Cruze Cars