Current Events in January 2015

New Pacific Direct (NPD) of Newark, Calif., is recalling 250 Abby dining chairs

The chair legs can break, posing a fall hazard.

The company has received 4 reports of a chair leg breaking. No injuries have been reported.

The Abby dining chair has dark brown wooden legs with seat and back upholstery in either gray or green fabric with black or white edge piping. The chair is approximately 20 inches wide, 24 inches deep and 36 inches tall.

The SKU number 428136-CS-C or 428136-GS-C is printed on the product packaging. There are no identifying labels on the product itself.

The chairs, manufactured in China, were sold at various home furnishing retailers nationwide between July 2014, and November 2014, for about $200.

Consumers may contact NPD Furniture at (800) 976-8188 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. PST Monday through Friday.

Things got a little better in terms of airline flight cancellations during November.

The Air Travel Consumer Report released by the Transportation department (DOT) says the nation’s largest airlines canceled just 0.9% of their scheduled domestic flights during the month, compared with rates of 1.0% a year earlier and 1.1% in October 2014.

The on-time arrival rates, on the other hand, were a mixed bag. The reporting carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 80.6% in November, versus the 83.5% rate in November 2013, and the 80.0% mark in October 2014.

Included in the latest report are data on tarmac delays, chronically delayed flights, and the causes of flight delays, statistics on mishandled baggage, as well as consumer service, disability, and discrimination complaints

The consumer report also contains information on incidents involving the loss, death, or injury of pets traveling by air.

The complete report is available on the DOT website.

The first full week of 2015 saw a surge in applications for mortgages.

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey applications shot up 49.1% during the week ending January 9.

The Refinance Index, meanwhile, jumped 66% from the previous week -- to the highest level since July 2013 -- pushing the refinance share of mortgage activity to 71% of total applications from 65% the previous week.

The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increased to 5.9% of total applications, and the FHA share of total applications fell to 7.5%. The VA share of total applications dropped to 9.7%, while t The USDA share of total applications slipped to 0.8%.

“The US economy and job market continued to show signs of strength, but weakness abroad and tumbling oil prices have led to further declines in longer-term interest rates,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s Chief Economist.

Contract interest rates

• The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less) fell 12 basis points -- from 4.01% to 3.89%, the lowest level since May 2013 -- with points decreasing to 0.23 from 0.28 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs with jumbo loan balances (greater than $417,000) dropped to 3.88%, the lowest level since May 2013, from 3.99%, with points decreasing to 0.23 from 0.24 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs backed by the FHA was down 10 basis points to 3.71%, the lowest level since May 2013, with points decreasing to -0.05 from -0.03 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 15-year FRMs slipped to 3.16%t, the lowest level since May 2013, from 3.24%, with points unchanged at 0.30 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs plunged 15 basis points to 2.94%, the lowest level since October 2014, with points decreasing to 0.46 from 0.51 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

The survey covers over 75 percent of all U.S. retail residential mortgage applications.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 11,144 model year 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles manufactured August 20, 2013, to September 9, 2014.

The Push-to Start/Stop (PTS) button located at the bottom of the shift transmission controls may be pushed inadvertently, causing the engine to shut off.

If the PTS switch is pressed inadvertently, the vehicle may stop unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash. In the event of a crash with the vehicle turned off, the air bags and seat belt restraints may not function as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will relocate the PTS switch and reprogram the Powertrain Control Module (PCM), free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 23, 2015.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S29.

IKEA North America Services of Conshohocken, Pa., is recalling about 169,000 VYSSA crib mattress.

The crib mattresses could create a gap between the mattress and crib ends larger than allowed by federal regulations, posing an entrapment hazard to infants.

The firm has received two reports of infants becoming trapped between the mattress and an end of the crib. They were removed from the gap without injury.

This recall involves IKEA VYSSA style crib mattresses with the following five model names: VACKERT, VINKA, SPELEVINK, SLÖA and SLUMMER. The involved mattresses were manufactured on May 4, 2014 or earlier.

An identification label attached to the mattress cover has the date of manufacture in Month-DD-YYYY format and the VYSSA model name. A gap between the mattress and crib ends larger than two finger width is an indication of the defective mattress.

The mattresses, manufactured in Mexico, were sold exclusively at IKEA stores nationwide and online at www.ikea-usa.com from August 2010, to May 2014, for about $100.

Consumers should inspect the recalled mattress by making sure there is no gap larger than the width of two fingers between the ends of the crib and the mattress. If any gap is larger, customers should immediately stop using the recalled mattress and return it to any IKEA store for an exchange or a full refund.

Consumers may contact IKEA toll-free at (888) 966-4532 anytime.

Our one-year test of the electrically powered Chevrolet Volt ended a few weeks ago but it's been so enjoyable -- and economical -- we're likely to keep the car for at least another year, even though our test pales in comparison to Erick Belmer of Ohio, who has piled up 200,000 miles on his 2012 Volt. 

According to Clean Technica, Belmer drives so much that he routinely exhausts the battery and runs on the back-up gas engine. Even so, he has achieved an average of 60 miles per gallon over the last two years, all with no breakdowns, repairs or noticeable loss of capacity in the battery.

Belmer loves his car and so do many of the Volt owners we've run across in our year of driving electrically. Several have volunteered that it's the best car they've ever had.  

I'm not certain I would go quite that far but I can't really think of any of the other 31 cars I've owned or leased that were any better, and certainly none that achieved anything like the average 84 MPG that I racked up in 2014. Perhaps a more meaningful figure is the average cost per mile, which came out to a whopping 4.24 cents, not counting electricity. This chart shows the total year's activity:

If I had driven those 5727 miles in my 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan, which barely gets 21 miles per gallon, I would have burned through about 272 gallons of premium gas. At an average of $3.50 per gallon in my neighborhood, that would have cost me $952, or 16 cents a mile.  

It's true I have not accounted for the cost of the electricity consumed by the Volt. That's mostly because our electricity bills have been much lower than the previous year, thanks largely to our converting to LED lights and replacing an aging heat pump, so the energy used by the Volt has simply been undetectable. 

GM this week is unveiling the 2016 Volt, which is expected to have several improvements, including enhanced regenerative braking and other upgrades that will improve its efficiency even further.

Quibbles & pluses

So why doesn't everybody rush out and buy a Volt? Well, for one thing, it's a little on the small side when it comes to seating. The Volt seats only four people. The battery intrudes into the passenger compartment to such an extent that a large hump down the middle divides the seating areas rather decisively. GM has disguised the hump with cup holders and so forth but there's no question that seating is tight. 

The car is designed to squeeze every last mile out of each speck of energy, which results in an aerodynamic design that includes a sharply raked windshield and a very low roof.

I'm just 6 feet tall, which is pretty average for an American male, and it's hard for me to get into the Volt without cracking my head on the roof. Once seated, two very large roof pillars intrude into the driver's field of vision; you really need to be careful turning corners lest pedestrians or bicyclists wind up in your lap.

Cargo space is tight but like most hatchbacks, the Volt will hold a lot more than you'd expect. On a recent trip to New York, we had much more luggage than usual thanks to a family member having endured a recent knee replacement. We tried to load bags, wheelchair, walker and other paraphernalia into the Tiguan -- which, after all, is supposed to be a mini-SUV. No dice.

We lugged everything over to the Volt and a few minutes later, glided off towards the Beltway. 

The common wisdom is that the Volt is a good city car but not so great on the highway. This is not true, at least in my book. I find the Volt to be a fun car for road trips. It accelerates instantly and smoothly, handles well and is quite comfortable in a solid sort of way. 

In the kind of gridlock that prevails in the D.C. area, the Volt is a godsend. This car loves to creep. There's none of the jerky, stop-and-go stuff you get with a spritely gas-powered car. The Volt brings a zen-like attitude to crawling along at 3 mph. 

About those freebies

A final word of caution: If you're counting on the much-advertised $7,500 income tax credit that is supposed to entice you to go electric, be careful. I didn't get the credit for 2013 because my accountant had not handled the procedure before and did not file the proper forms. He thinks -- thinks, mind you! -- that he can file an amended return and maybe -- maybe! -- get the money but doesn't sound very confident.

I don't know about you but I consider $7,500 to be a little more than walking around money. So review everything and be sure you know exactly what you need to do to get the tax credit if you decide to Volt up. Here are a couple of places to start: IRS Form 8936 and a posting on an enthusiast's blog. Most improtant: talk to your account before you buy the car and make sure he has reviewed the process thoroughly and knows what needs to be done to pry the money loose from the government.

And finally, check around to see if there are local and state tax incentives. California and other western states tend to have reduced licensing fees for plug-ins and some also require utilities to provide discounted electrical rates. Some states allow hybrids in the carpool lanes on busy freeways.

None of this (except, sometimes, the carpool lane exemption) happens in Virginia, where my Volt lives. In fact, until last year, Virginia had a special hybrid tax of $60 or so. It was supposed to make up for the fact that hybrids don't use as much gas and therefore don't pay their share of highway maintenance. 

Fairfax County, which sees itself as a suburban environmentalist's nirvana, hit me with a $1,000 personal property tax bill for the Volt, just to thank me for helping to clean up its ozone-filled atmosphere. And Dominion Resources, the local utility, does exactly zip to make life easier for plug-in owners. Discounted rates, cheaper overnight energy, separate meters? Forget it.

In other words, you might want to move to California before you buy a Volt. Hey, the weather's nicer anyway and there are more Trader Joe's stores. 

Not everybody wants to take their pup for a walk in below freezing weather, but your dog still needs to go out. One option that might make it easier on you would be to install a doggie door. The ins and outs of doggie doors can be a little confusing.

Dog doors come in many sizes and shapes just like your dog. In general, dog doors can range from 13 inches by 23 inches on the high end, to 5 inches by 8 inches on the small side. Just like a custom home they can come in different styles and vary greatly from the traditional plastic to even electric doors.

You can install them in different types of materials including wood, steel, French, and glass doors, windows and brick, siding. Your best bet is an energy-efficient construction-grade dog door.

It's really recommended to research the kind of door you want and to see what will fit your dog best. Your vet can also give you good solid advice on things that might be safest for your dog.

Bite-proofing

If you are still in the puppy stages or you have a dog that exhibits anxiety and chews things as a result. You might want to look into bite-proof doors. These types of doors are usually heavier and will be more energy-efficient.

A sliding glass door insert is the most convenient because it requires neither storm nor screen door to be open for the dog to get access.The only issue with that though is it's not the best for weather that fluctuates since it provides virtually no insulation.

One of the most common styles of doggie doors is the plastic door that has a flap. The problem here lies in the lack of control over when your dog comes in and out of the house. Some of the plastic flap doors do come with another sliding door that will keep heat or cold out and again be much more energy-efficient. You can also lock these sliding doors so that can keep your dog out of trouble or prevent other critters from wandering in.

One more option to examine would be an automatic door. The door opening is activated by a control on the animal’s collar. With electronic doors, the dog’s collar contains a computer chip, ultrasound transmitter, or special magnet that signals the door to unlock. That will be a plus to keep those other pesky critters out.

Visitors have been known to wander in through doggie doors. Raccoons are a favorite, wanting to get out of the cold and see what kind of goodies your trash can may supply for them. As a result some owners choose doors with openings positioned five inches or more over the ground.

Height and width are important. The last thing you want to have to do is get Vaseline to pry your dog out who is stuck in a door. The dog’s measurements, including height from floor to shoulders and width at the widest point of shoulders or hips, should be accurately assessed. A dog door should be a minimum of two inches wider than the animal’s width. Since the dog will duck its head as it passes through the door, the height does not need to be much taller than the dog’s shoulder height.

Like everything else you can get these online. Prices start at $25 and go up from there.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 9,038 model year 2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured April 15, 2014, to May 8, 2014, and 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles manufactured April 21, 2014, to May 15, 2014.

Improper nickel plating of components within the fuel pump may result in the fuel pump failing which could cause the vehicle to stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 23, 2015.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S30.

President Obama has proposed taking state and local initiatives providing free community college for 2 years and making them a national program.

The proposal, unveiled in a speech in Knoxville, Tenn., last week, has a $60 billion price tag. And in his speech Obama made clear he views this as much as an economic initiative as an educational one.

“For millions of Americans, community colleges are essential pathways to the middle class because they’re local, they’re flexible," Obama said. “Whether you’re the first in your family to go to college, or coming back to school after many years away, community colleges find a place for you. And you can get a great education.”

Under the “America's College Promise” proposal, students would have 2 years of community college tuition paid, if they maintain a 2.5 grade point average. Participating community colleges would have to meet academic standards.

Reducing student debt

But the proposal is aimed at more than just educating more people. It's also aimed at reducing mounting student loan debt levels. It does nothing for the people already paying on the more than $1 trillion in loans now, but could prevent crippling debt burdens for future students.

“Think about it,” Obama said. “Students who started at community colleges during those two years, and then go on to a four-year institution, they essentially get the first half of their bachelor’s degree for free. People who enroll for skills training will graduate already ready to work, and they won’t have a pile of student debt. Two years of college will become as free and universal as high school is today.”

It sounds good, but does it have a prayer of being approved by the new Republican Congress, that has not exactly seen eye-to-eye with the White House on much of anything?

Bipartisan pitch

Obama is trying to make it a bipartisan issue, one that both parties can support. He made his speech in Tennessee because that state already has such a program, signed into law by a Republican governor. In the first year, Tennessee's program has drawn 58,000 applicants – 90% of the state's high school graduates.

The White House estimates that nationwide, some 9 million students would take advantage of the program. The U.S. government would pick up 75% of the tuition cost while participating states would pay for the rest.

The concept, at least, has some Republican support. Michigan's Republican governor has expressed interest in the idea but Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who attended the President's Knoxville speech, while liking the idea, thought it should remain a state program.

Changes for education

Either way, if some form of free community college becomes widespread, it could be a major game-changer in education. Perhaps the biggest impact would fall on for-profit colleges, among the most expensive. Could any compelling case be made for spending $40,000 to obtain an associates degree at a for-profit school when the same degree could be gotten for free at a community college?

There could also be some unintended consequences outside the for-profit college sphere. How many underclassmen would non-profit 4-year colleges lose to community colleges? Would they respond by increasing tuition at a faster rate? Would they accept more of the applicants they now turn down?

And what about the community colleges themselves? Can they handle the expected increase in enrollment?

All questions that will be sorted out in the months ahead, no doubt. But the proposal is one that has a good chance of being debated on its merits and not buried in partisan bickering.

So far, electric cars have been something of a novelty item or, if you prefer, a niche product for geeks and greenies. Those with loads of cash are drawn to the $80,000 Tesla while tighter-fisted look towards the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf or perhaps the Hyundai Sonata plug-in, announced today. 

But America is a big country, with more miles of highway than just about anywhere else, causing the dread condition known as range anxiety -- fear of being caught on the road with a dead battery.

Chevrolet labored long and hard a few years back and brought forth the Volt, an electric car with a built-in gasoline engine that takes over when the battery has burned through its 35-40 mile range. This gives the Volt an effective range of more than 300 miles -- equal to most other cars -- and an effective gas mileage that is often somewhere in the 80-mpg range.

You would think that this would have produced a best seller but, in fact, sales of the Volt have been somewhat anemic, with only 73,000 being sold to date, even though owners of the car give it high marks.

None of this seems to have discouraged Hyundai, however, which today unveiled its Hyundai Sonata plug-in hybrid, expected to travel up to 22 miles  on battery power, with a combined output of 202 horsepower from a 2.0-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor -- more power than the redesigned Volt, but less than half the range in all-electric mode.

Volt's a slow seller 

Critics say GM has simply not marketed the Volt effectively but GM predicts the 2016 Volt -- which gets its first showing today at the International Auto Show in Detroit -- will appeal to a wider market. The Volt 2.0 will get slightly better gas mileage when running on the gasoline engine and may cost a little less than the $35,000 to $40,000 Volt 1.0 price tag -- a financial hit that is sometimes softened by a $7,500 tax credit.

Some owners, however, have complained that the tax credit is an illusion, maintaining that their application for the credit was denied or ignored for unknown reasons. 

Hyundai will be selling the Sonata plug-in in California and the nine other states that require automakers to sell at least some zero-emission vehicles. Hyundai has also been promotion hydrogen power, leasing its hydrogen-fueled Tucson crossover in California.

Nobody really knows which type of electric car -- if any -- will eventually catch on so manufacturers are trying to cover all the bases.

A placeholder

The Volt 2.0 may turn out to be something of a placeholder for the Bolt, an all-electric hatchback Chevrolet displayed today at the auto show and is planning to roll out  in a few years. It will reportedly go about 200 miles on a full charge and, unlike the Volt, will not have a backup gas engine.

That puts the Bolt squarely in the spot Tesla is shooting for with its new, lower-priced model, also expected to debut sometime in 2017. Both the Bolt and the still-unnamed Tesla model are expected to sell for about $35,000 and likely to resemble a Volkswagen Golf in terms of overall shape and size.

“The Bolt EV concept is a game-changing electric vehicle designed for attainability, not exclusivity,” said General Motors CEO Mary Barra. “Chevrolet believes electrification is a pillar of future transportation and needs to be affordable for a wider segment of customers.”

Why would anyone want to buy an electric car when gas is hovering around $2 a gallon? Well, the easiest answer is that the price of gas fluctuates -- it won't be $2 forever. There's also the environmental factor -- most people consider electric cars to be environmentally more friendly than gas-powered buggies.

But slowly emerging from the shadows are the current owners of Teslas and Volts, raving about their cars' performance, praising their acceleration, their eerily silent operation and that indefinable something VW once called farfegnugen. Simply put, they're a hoot to drive.

Gas-powered cars with their clunky transmissions and rumbling engines seem like candidates for the vintage car museum once you've gotten used to gliding swiftly and smoothly through traffic on nothing but volts (with maybe a few amps thrown in for good measure). 

It's a market that may take awhile to grow but GM and Tesla obviously think its time is coming and are willing to keep turning the crank on the generator until it happens.

The Santa Barbara Smokehouse of Santa Barbara, Calif., is recalling the following brands and batches of cold smoked salmon produced and packed between December 17th and December 24th 2014:

• Cambridge House Private Reserve
• Cambridge House Mild
• Cambridge House Mild 4-oz
• Cambridge House Royal
• Cambridge House Royal 4-oz,
• Cambridge House Royal Pastrami
• Cambridge House Royal Lemon and Dill
• Cambridge House Royal Prime Tenderloin
• Cambridge House Mild Lemon Pepper
• Cambridge House Balmoral
• Cambridge House Balmoral 4-oz
• Cambridge House Gravadlax
• Cambridge House Mild Citron Vodka
• Coastal Harbor
• Coastal Harbor Oak
• Coastal Harbor Oak Beech
• Coastal Harbor Beech
• Coastal Harbor Oak Beech Pastrami
• Coastal Harbor 1lb Trimmings
• Coastal Harbor Nova
• Santa Barbara Smokehouse Balmoral
• Harbor Point Atlantic
• Harbor Point Scottish Style
• Gelsons Market Cambridge House Private Reserve
• Fresh & Easy Atlantic Smoked Salmon 4-oz
• Fresh & Easy Scottish Smoked Atlantic Salmon 4-oz
• Fresh & Easy Smoked Salmon Trimmings 4-oz
• Channel Island Atlantic
• Local Abundance 4-oz
• Local Abundance Norwegian
• Local Abundance unsliced
• Gordon Foods Private Reserve Wild

The products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The following batch numbers may be found on the rear of the package:

• 200
• 596
• 4261
• 5042
• 5251
• 5264
• 5609
• 5699
• 5731
• 5761
• 5792
• 5904
• 5924
• 5934
• 5969
• 5979
• 6012
• 6029
• 6042
• 6054
• 6061
• 6072
• 6082
• 6175
• 6194
• 6204
• 6214
• 6285
• 6304
• 6314
• 6322
• 6339
• 6344
• 6351
• 6362
• 6379
• 6434
• 6449
• 6452
• 6461
• 6479
• 6481
• 6492
• 6572
• 6569
• 6572
• 6584
• 6594
• 6604
• 6612
• 6664
• 6674
• 6684

Consumers who have purchased any of the above products should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-805-966-9796.

Unibright Foods of Bell Gardens, Calif., is recalling approximately 48,139 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat sukiyaki beef and gingered pork products.

The products may be contaminated with extraneous metal materials.

There are no reports of injury or illness from consumption of the products.

The following products are subject to recall:

• 2.2-lb. packages of “MISHIMA SUKIYAKI BEEF” bearing the establishment number “EST.1163” inside the USDA mark of inspection and package ID number “15069.”
• 1.7-lb. packages of “MISHIMA GINGERED PORK” bearing the establishment number “EST.1163” inside the USDA mark of inspection and package ID number “15059.”

The beef product was produced between Aug. 12, 2014, and Dec. 16, 2014. The gingered pork product was produced between Aug. 5, 2014, and Aug. 6, 2014. Both were shipped to institutions and retail outlets in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey and New York.

Consumers with questions may contact Jacob Fernandez at (562) 806-3221.

Shirk’s Meats of Dundee, N.Y., is recalling approximately 1,062 pounds of pork sausage product.

The product contains peanuts, an allergen not listed on the label.

There are no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the product.

The following product, produced on November 26, 2014, is being recalled:

• 30-lb. bags of “Smoked Pork Andouille Sausage.”

The product bears the establishment number “EST. 18894” inside the USDA mark of inspection and was shipped to a firm in New York for further processing, and distribution to retail locations.

Consumers with questions about the recall may can contact Naomi Shirk at (607) 243-5581.