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Consumer News & Alerts

June 18, 2007

TEN VERY SOUR LEMONS
Most of us don't like to shell out $20,000 or more for a new car or truck, and it's tempting to believe that we can buy a model that's a few years old and get something that's almost as good as new, for a lot less money.

There's no doubt this can happen, but it's by no means a sure thing. A crafy consumer who sets out to buy a used vehicle knows that the first thing to do is to check out the best-known foibles of the models he's likely to come across in his search.

You won't find this information in the reviews that were published when the car or truck was introduced, and it's not likely you'll find it in auto magazines. You most certainly won't find it out from the dealer. So, where can you find it? Why, in this week's cover story, of course -- The Ten Worst Used Cars of 2007.

Speaking of cars ...

• Gas Prices Drop, But For How Long? Prices are subsiding slightly but look out -- many factors could turn things around quickly.

• Prius on Hold Toyota is delaying production of its third-generation Prius because of safety concerns over the new lithium-ion battery it had planned to use.

• Hyundai Santa Fe SUV Wins Top Safety Pick Twenty-one cars, SUVs, and minivans have won the IIHS top safety pick.

• Toothpaste, Dog Food, and Now ... The first Chinese car is coming to the U.S. Zhongxing Automobile will build a plant in Tijuana to make SUVs and pickups.

PAIN KILLER IN PET FOOD
The feds are denying a private lab's findings that samples of pet food from China contained acetaminophen but the Texas lab is sticking by its findings. It's part of the continuing mystery of the pet food poisonings that struck thousands of pets. The big question is: How secure is the nation's food safety net? Take a look at the latest episodes in our coverage of this story and judge for yourself.

Then there's the poisoned toothpaste. Another importer has recalled Chinese toothpaste, warning that the imported tubes may contain a deadly chemical found in antifreeze. Meanwhile,Colgate warned that counterfeit toothpaste was being sold in dollar-discount stores in the Northeast.

CYBER SLEUTHS
Enough of this shoe leather, the FBI went looking for spammers and other online nuisances. It found about a million of them. Most of those it fingered are personal computers that have been taken over without their owners' knowledge and turned into "zombies" that have fallen under the control of sinister forces. It sounds like science fiction but it's quite real.

Buckeye Bunglers On the other end of the scale, there's Ohio, where an intern lost a portable hard drive that contains names, Social Security numbers and other private data on about 64,000 state employees. Governor Ted Strickland isn't happy about it. He shouldn't be. His state is closing in fast on being the nation's leader when it comes to letting data drip away.

FORECLOSURES SURGE 90% IN MAY
As disasters go, the mortgage meltdown ranks right up there. Millions of consumers have taken out mortgages that they can't afford, as rocketing foreclosure rates show. California, Nevada and Colorado were among the hardest-hit states in May. In general, the problem is worst in states where the housing market was overheated, and in inner cities, where many minority and elderly consumers were hoodwinked into predatory loans.

Despite sinking home prices in some markets and the flood of foreclosures, a study finds that housing is still beyond the reach of many. Those who already have homes are struggling to hold onto them, while those who don't are still priced out of the market.

In other financial developments ...

• Pentagon's Predatory Lending Rules Faulted Rules leave military families unprotected, consumer groups argue.

• Credit Counseling Not Helpful in Bankruptcy Study finds little benefit from counseling required by 2005 bankruptcy law.

• Consumer Groups Decry Debt Collection Horror Stories Thirty years after passage of Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, abuses remain.

• Study Finds Investors Fare Poorly in Securities Arbitration Individual investors winning fewer claims, recovering less money.

THE SUNSHINE PARADOX
We've been told for years to get out of the sun and to slather ourselves with sun block if we insist on driving around with the top down on sunny days. OK, fine, but now a study finds that many Americans aren't getting enough Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin." Now, the problem with getting too much sunshine is that it can cause skin cancer. The problem with not getting enough Vitamin D? That's right. It can cause cancer. The answer, experts say, is about 15 minutes of sunshine a day. More -- or less -- than that may be dangerous.

More health notes ...

• Dietary Calcium Better than Supplements Calcium is important for building and preserving bones, especially in women. Thus, it's important to take note of a new study that finds dietary calcium is better than supplements at protecting against osteoporosis. Best advice: skip the pills -- especially the "coral calcium" variety -- and head for the low-fat dairy products.

• The Constipation Challenge Constipation's a common problem and one that can usually be easily treated, notes the Healthy Geezer. A high-fiber diet, plenty of fluids and moderate exercise will do the trick for just about everyone, he reports. Laxatives and other remedies usually aren't needed and may make things worse.

• Student Health When we're young, it's tempting to think we can go to school all day and party all night without ill effects, but a University of New Hampshire study debunks that notion. It found a surprising number of students with high blood pressure, obesity and metabolic changes that often precede diabetes. Many women students weren't getting enough calcium, setting them up for osteoporosis at that seemingly far-off time called "later in life," which seems to arrive a lot sooner than anyone expects.

WHERE'S RADIO HEADED?
Believe it or not, radio used to be sort of exciting. Local stations competed fiercely to cover the local scene. Some did local news. Why, some even played a variety of music. These days, the landscape's a lot flatter and less interesting. Or so says our Martin H. Bosworth, who has lent an ear to some of the supposed experts.

SCAMS & OUTRAGES

• Credit Card Scam Be wary of letters requesting additional payments to your account.

• Mountain Real Estate Developers left would-be investors stuck with zero equity, prosecutors charge.

RECALLS

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