Recalls in March 2007

March 27, 2007
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ordered the recall of 222 Bentley Arnage R, RL and T luxury automobiles because the wheels might fall off.

"On certain vehicles," according to NHTSA, "the road wheel fixing bolts may be dimensionally incorrect. The potential exists for these bolts to loosen," according to federal safety regulators.

NHTSA goes on to warn that loose and dimensionally incorrect fixing bolts "could lead to the road wheel becoming detached from the hub increasing the risk of a crash."

Bentley dealers will replace all of the wheel bolts free of charge, according to NHTSA.

Owners may contact Bentley Motors Ltd. at 248-754-6464.

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

The defect in the fuel pump could cause the engine to stop and fail to restart, according to a Honda spokesman. No accidents have been reported as a result of the faulty fuel pump.

Vehicles involved in the recall include the Accord, Accord hybrid, Odyssey, Acura TL, Acura RL, Acura TSX vehicles from the 2005 model year and some 2006 Honda Ridgeline pickups.

The cost of the recall is still unknown.

March 15, 2007
Children's Necklaces sold exclusively at Claire's Stores are being recalled because of a lead poisoning hazard.

The recalled necklaces contain high levels of lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.

The recalled children's necklaces have metal pendants shaped as monkeys, dolphins, and frogs holding colored marbles, a fleur de lis painted in various colors, a silver and black fairy, silver-colored letters "BFF" with rhinestones, and tiny handcuffs painted in various colors. The pendants hang from silver-colored chains. "Claire's" or "Claire's best friends forever" is printed on the packaging.

The necklaces were sold by Claire's retail stores nationwide from December 2005 through December 2006 for between $5 and $11.

Consumers should immediately take this recalled jewelry away from children. Consumers should return the recalled jewelry to any Claire's store for a full refund or a free replacement product.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, call Claire's Boutiques Inc. toll-free at (866) 859-9281 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.claires.com.

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

The cracks have been reported in a small percentage of the steel wheels on 2003 to 2005 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors. The wheels were covered by a Ford extended warranty program, according to a company executive.

Ford notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the problem stating that the cracks can form near the weld line that connects the rim to the wheel disk.

Ford dealers will inspect and replace the wheels and the spare as needed.

The Crown Victoria Police Interceptors involved in the recall were built from October 10, 2001, through December 8, 2004.

Police departments should call Ford at 800-392-3673 or contact their local dealers to see if the recall applies to their cars.

This is the second Ford recall involving wheels on the Police Interceptor. In August 2003, Ford recalled wheels on the cars and extended the wheel warranties.

Police departments have reported two crashes which they attributed to the wheel problem, according to a Ford spokesman but the automaker is disputing the reports. No one was injured in the either crash

The Crown Victoria is a favorite of many police departments even after the Police Interceptor was the subject of a 2003 debate over whether its rear gas tank was vulnerable to rupture in accidents.

Several police department officials charged officers needlessly died in fires following a crash in the cruiser because of a design flaw in the vehicle fuel system. Ford agreed to offer shields for gas tanks on police cruisers.

Carolina Culinary Foods, a West Columbia, S.C., firm, is voluntarily expanding its February recall of fully cooked Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich chicken breast cuts and strips that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service says the front of each package subject to this recall bears the establishment number "P-19676" inside the USDA mark of inspection. On the back of each package appears a "Use by" date. Products subject to recall bear a "Use by" date earlier than "28 MAY 2007." The expanded recall totals approximately 2.8 million pounds.

Only the following Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich chicken breast cuts and strips are subject to recall. The list is inclusive of products included in both the original and expanded recall actions.

• 6-ounce packages of "Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich Chicken Breast Strips with Rib Meat, Southwestern Seasoned."
• 6-ounce packages of "Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich Chicken Breast Strips with Rib Meat Grilled."
• 6-ounce packages of "Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich Chicken Restaurant Style Breaded Chicken Breast Strips."
• 6-ounce packages of "Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich Chicken Breast Strips with Rib Meat Italian Style."
• 6-ounce packages of "Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Cuts with Rib Meat."
• 6-ounce packages of "Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich Chicken, Honey Roasted Chicken Breast Cuts with Rib Meat."
• 12-ounce packages of "Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich Chicken Breast Strips with Rib Meat Grilled."
• 12-ounce packages of "Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich Chicken Breast Strips with Rib Meat Southwestern Seasoned."

The expanded recall is based on additional sampling initiated by Kraft Foods and conducted at a non-government laboratory. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products. The chicken breast cuts and strips were distributed to retail establishments nationwide.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease.

Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy.