Recalls in September 2004

Sauder Woodworking is recalling about 300,000 TV/VCR carts. The carts can tip over and the television can fall off, posing a risk of serious injury or death to small children.

Sauder Woodworking has received one report of a cart tipping over, though no injuries have been reported.

The recalled TV/VCR carts are white, light brown and light reddish brown; have decorative hardware and trim; and are about 29 inches wide, 17 inches deep, and 25 inches high. The carts are equipped with a top shelf for a television 20 inches or smaller and a middle shelf for a VCR and a lower storage area. The recalled carts include models 3355, 6355, 7755, 9855 and 9755, which can be found on the instruction book that came with the cart.

Department, discount and home electronic stores nationwide sold the 3355, 6355 and 7755 model from October 1991 through May 1999 for between $80 and $100. The 9855 and 9755 models were sold exclusively at Target stores.

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the TV/VCR carts immediately and do the following:

•  Remove the television and all contents.
• Turn the cart over and remove the four casters from the bottom of the cart. This will bring the tip-stability of the cart into compliance with the latest industry standards.
• Contact Sauder Woodworking Co. to receive a free retrofit kit and safe use information.

When updated, this cart will be suitable for use with TVs weighing 50 pounds or less. This includes most TVs that are 20 inches or smaller.

Consumer Contact: Consumers should contact Sauder Woodworking Co. toll-free at (888) 800-6315 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST Monday through Friday, or visit the companys Web site at www.sauder.com, to receive a free repair kit.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

September 27, 2004
The Polaris Sportsman 700 EFI ATV is being recalled because of a problem with the fuel line.

The throttle cable may bind when the handlebars are turned full left or full right, resulting in an increase in engine speed and unintended vehicle acceleration. In addition, the fuel line may rub against the vehicle chassis, resulting in a fuel line leak which could be a fire hazard.

There have been 19 incidents (including two minor injuries such as scrapes, bruises, and minor injuries to the leg, knee, and shoulder) involving the throttle cable binding which may cause the ATV to accelerate. There have been 31 incidents (but no injuries or fires) involving gasoline leaking from the fuel line rubbing against the chassis.

All model year 2004 Sportsman 700 EFI ATVs with model numbers A04CH68CU, A04CH68AU, A04CH68AP, and A04CH68AQ are part of this recall. The model number is on the rear upper frame tube located directly under the right side of the seat.

The ATVs have black seats with a grey, red, and black chassis. 700 Sportsman is prominently displayed on the right and left side of the chassis, body and fuel tank, and EFI is displayed on the instrument/headlight pod.

Polaris dealers sold these ATVs nationwide from March 2003 to August 2004 for between $7,899 and $8,899.

Contact your Polaris dealer to schedule an appointment to inspect, reroute, and replace the throttle cable and the fuel line as necessary. Polaris has notified consumers directly about this recall.

Consumer Contact: Call Polaris at (800) 765-2747 between 8 a.m. and 12 midnight ET everyday.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

September 24, 2004
About 81,000 director's chairs for children are being recalled. The chair can be misassembled so that the fabric seat can come off the chairs frame and expose metal support rods. this can pose a laceration and fall hazard to young children.

There have been six reports of the fabric seat coming off. In two of these reports, children received lacerations from the exposed metal seat support rod, with one child requiring stitches. There were two additional reports of minor injuries.

The product is a childs director-style chair, constructed of tubular metal with a canvas seat and back. The chairs feature popular characters such as The Wiggles, Dora the Explorer, Spongebob Squarepants, and Disney Princesses. The Model Numbers for these recalled units are TC83536WG, TC83531DO, TC83533PS and TC83532SB. The model number can be found on a label on the leg of the chair.

The product was sold at discount department and toy stores nationwide from April 2004 through July 2004 for about $10.

Consumers are advised to stop using the chair immediately and contact Delta Enterprise Corp., to receive a free repair kit consisting of new assembly instructions and four straps, which will prevent the fabric seat from coming off.

Consumer Contact: Call Delta Enterprises toll-free at (877) 660-3777 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit their Web site at www.deltaenterprise.com/recall.html

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

September 24, 2004
IKEA is recalling about 25,000 BERTBY Glass-Door Wall Cabinets. Some of the cabinets have the wrong sized screws for the safety bracket, which can result in the cabinet not being properly secured to the wall. The cabinets can fall and injure nearby consumers.

IKEA has received two reports of cabinets falling. No injuries have been reported.

The glass-door wall cabinets have BERTBY, the product article number (380.472.10) and supplier number (14709) written on a label on the underside of the bottom panel or on the top side of the top panel. The cabinets are about 67-inches high.

The cabinets were sold at IKEA stores nationwide from January 2002 through September 9, 2004 for about $100.

IKEA is offering a free repair kit. Consumers should contact IKEA to determine if their wall cabinet needs this repair.

Contact IKEA at (888) 966-4532 anytime or visit the companys Web site at www.ikea-usa.com. Consumers also can visit their local IKEA store to pick up the replacement screws and repair instructions.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

September 15, 2004
NCR Corp. is recalling 78,000 universal inkjet refill kits. The product does not have required child-resistant packaging or required warning labels. The product contains ethylene glycol, posing an ingestion hazard to young children.

The recalled kits were sold in a clear plastic package with color or black ink. The black ink kits have model numbers 943264 and 999292 and the color ink kits have model number 999289 printed on the side panel above the UPC code.

The two black inkjet sets contain four plastic bottles of black ink, two plastic bottles of cleaning fluid and one toolkit. The color inkjet set contains six plastic bottles of colored ink, two plastic bottles of cleaning solution and one toolkit.

The kits were sold at Big Lots and Walgreens nationwide from April 2004 through June 2004 for about $12.

Consumers should immediately remove the kits out of the reach of young children and return to the store where purchased to receive a refund or a free replacement kit.

Consumer Contact: Contact NCR Corp. at (800) 279-0203 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, e-mail the firm at systemedia.info@NCR.com or visit the firms Web site at www.ncr.com.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

September 13, 2004
Volvo is recalling 460,000 cars worldwide to fix the wiring in an electronic control module for the cars' main cooling fan. It's the company's largest recall ever.

About 150,000 vehicles in the United States are affected. The cars involved are the S80, S60 and XC70, from model years 1999, 2000 and 2001.

The company said the faulty unit can cause a short circuit in the car's main cooling fan, particularly during slow-speed driving in warm climates. The short circuit causes the main cooling fan to run continuously which, in turn, causes the cooling fan's electric motor to overheat.

If it overheats, the cooling fan could fail, which in turn would cause the vehicle's engine to overheat.

Also, components near the cooling fan could be damaged by excessive heat from the fan motor and there is some risk of fire, although there have been no reported fires, according to Volvo spokesman James Hope.

Volvo will replace the entire cooling fan assembly in the vehicles effected, said Hope. Car owners will be informed of the recall by letter.

September 2, 2004
Suzuki is recalling more than 172,000 Grand Vitara SUVs because of a fuel pressure problem that can trigger fires.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the 172,093 SUVs affected were from the 1999-2004 model years.

Dealers will replace the fuel pressure regulator on the vehicles, as well as a fuel delivery hose and a hose clamp, NHTSA said.

Also, NHTSA said Honda was recalling 69,538 Odyssey minivans because of potential engine stalling problems linked to the fuel pump.

September 2, 2004
Bridgestone/Firestone is offering to replace 27,000 tires involved in a series of accidents involving more than a dozen injuries and one death. The company says it's not a recall but a "voluntary safety campaign."

The tires involved are Bridgestone's Dueler A/T models in size LT285/75R16 LR D. The tires that were manufactured in Tosu, Japan, between July 1, 1998, and July 31, 2002, and were sold as replacement tires throughout the United States and Canada.

Bridgstone says a "review of internal data" found that "a small percentage of these tires may experience belt detachment." The company says the tires are especially prone to failure when driven above or below recommended inflation pressures.

"We actively monitor our tires performance in the field with an advanced early warning system, said Mike Kane, Bridgestone/Firestone vice president for quality assurance. We noticed that this specific size and type of tire was not performing up to our companys expectations, so we decided to remove the remaining tires from service to avoid the potential of any future problems.

Six months ago Bridgestone/Firestone recalled about 490,000 Steeltex tires linked to sport-utility vehicle crashes that killed five people.

Consumers in the United States can receive free replacement tires through any Bridgestone/Firestone company-owned stores: Firestone Tire & Service Centers, ExpertTire, TiresPlus, Hibdon TiresPlus, Wheel Works, GCR, or Firestone Commercial & Farm. Canadian consumers should contact an authorized participating Bridgestone retailer for replacement.

Replacement tires may include (at the consumers option) tires of the same size as those which were fitted as original equipment on the consumers vehicle.

Consumer Contacts

• Consumer toll-free hotline: For questions and additional information about how to identify the tires covered under this program and where to get free replacements, consumers may contact BFNT and BFCA toll free at: 1-800-465-1904.
• Notification letter: Every effort will be made to identify customers who have purchased tires covered by this program in order to advise them of the campaign by mail. However, consumers need not wait to receive a letter in order to have the tires inspected, and if they are a part of this action, replaced. Consumers in the United States can visit any BFRC company-owned location to determine if the tires are subject to the campaign. Authorized replacement tire locations are Firestone Tire & Service Centers, ExpertTire, TiresPlus, Hibdon TiresPlus, Wheel Works, GCR, or Firestone Commercial & Farm. Canadian consumers should contact an authorized participating Bridgestone retailer.
• Web site: Information about how to identify and replace the tires covered by this campaign as well as frequently asked questions can be found at www.bridgestonetire.com.