Blog: Product Liability - Page 32

Product recalls, although potentially quite expensive, are still in a manufacturer or product designer’s best interest, thanks to product liability laws. Indeed, the individual and class action lawsuits brought against General Motors for its ignition switch defect is a bitter reminder of that truth.

General Mills has recalled 10 million pounds of flour due to a possible E. Coli contamination. Since December, 38 people in 20 states have become ill from E. coli O121 possibly linked to Gold Medal flour, Wondra flour, and Signature Kitchens flour. These products were sold in Safeway, Albertsons, Jewel, Shaws, Vons, United, Randalls, and Acme.

When is a product recall not a recall? To some critics, when the company behind the defective product calls it a “repair program.”

Readers may have heard that discount furniture chain Ikea announced a massive “repair program” for its Malm line of dressers. The company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the dressers were unstable...

The deadly Takata airbags have caused over 20 million cars to be recalled. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has just reported that Takata has told auto-manufactures that even newer model vehicles may also be affected.

It has been a few weeks since we discussed the massive Takata airbag recall in this blog. Since 2013, about 29 million vehicles with defective airbag inflators have been recalled in the U.S. alone, after at least 10 people have been killed and many more injured.