CONSUMER NEWS

Kia recalling Soul, Sorento autos for wiring fix

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Kia Motors is recalling about 35,000 Soul and Sorento vehicles to fix wiring in the interior lighting panels that could lead to fires.
  
The recall affects about 24,000 Kia Soul compact wagons from the 2010 model year and more than 11,000 Kia Sorento sedans from the 2011 model year.
   Kia told the government that some wiring harnesses located in the Soul's front door trim panels and the Sorento's front and rear door trim panels may have been improperly soldered, which could lead to an electrical short.
   The South Korean company said the short in the wiring harnesses could cause fires. No accidents or injuries have been reported.
   Owners will be notified later this month and the wiring harnesses will be replaced.
   (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Posted 10:45 AM EDT on September 02, 2010

Rodents, other violations found at 2 egg farms

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Food and Drug Administration investigators have found rodents, seeping manure and even maggots at the Iowa egg farms believed to be responsible for as many as 1,500 cases of salmonella poisoning.
   FDA officials released their initial observations of the ongoing investigations at Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms on Monday. The two farms recalled more than half a billion eggs after salmonella illnesses were linked to their products earlier this month.
   Reports released by the FDA show numerous violations at both farms, including rodent, bug and wild bird infestation, uncontained manure, holes in walls and other problems that could have caused the outbreak.
   Several positive samples of salmonella have been found at both farms.
   (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Posted 3:15 PM EDT on August 30, 2010

NY legislators want chickens vaccinated

NEW YORK (AP) -- Two state legislators want to require farmers in New York to vaccinate their chickens against salmonella.
   Sen. Daniel Squadron and Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh announced their proposal Sunday in front of a supermarket in New York City. Their idea comes after a nationwide recall of hundreds of millions of eggs. None of the recalled eggs came from New York.
   The legislators say vaccinations costing one penny per dozen eggs could nearly eliminate the more than 100,000 salmonella cases each year in the U.S. if all states had such a law.
   They plan to formally introduce the legislation this week.
   (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Posted 9:55 PM EDT on August 28, 2010

CEO: J&J let down public, must work to build trust

 TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- With Johnson & Johnson's once-golden reputation tarnished by 11 recalls of medicines, contact lenses and hip implants in as many months, its chief executive says he knows the company let consumers down.
   J&J plans a public campaign to help rebuild their trust, but not until after about 40 recalled nonprescription medicines are back on store shelves sometime early next year. In the meantime, the company is also doing everything possible to make sure the incidents are not repeated, CEO Bill Weldon told The Associated Press Friday.
   The maker of trusted brands including Johnson's No More Tears baby shampoo and Tylenol pain reliever, has announced repeated recalls since late last September. Nine involved nonprescription medicines made by its McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Posted 3:40 PM EDT on August 27, 2010

Ford recalls 575K Windstar vans

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ford says it is recalling 575,000 older model Windstar vans in the United States and Canada over concerns that the rear axles can corrode and potentially break.
   The recall covers vehicles in the model years 1998 to 2003 sold in states where the heavy use of road salt can cause more corrosion. That includes Canada, New England, the Mid-Atlantic states and the Great Lakes region.
   Ford Motor Co. says it plans to start notifying owners beginning on Sept. 27. The company says the axle breaks have occurred in only a small number of cases.
   Ford shares are up 18 cents, or 1.5 percent, at $11.35 in morning trading.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Posted 10:50 AM EDT on August 27, 2010

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