Samsung Note 7 recall findings and the company’s commitment to do better
Last year, multiple Samsung Note 7’s were unexpectedly igniting; causing great concern for users’ safety.
Samsung quickly initiated a recall to replace the faulty batteries. However, it didn’t take long for those to set on fire too. After a thorough investigation into the phones and what exactly caused the ignitions, Samsung has revealed that there were two main reasons; both relating to the batteries in the hand set.
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Regulators reportedly find no evidence of defect in Tesla car involved in fatal Autopilot crash
Regulators have concluded their investigations into Tesla Model S cars, which was prompted by the death of a man named Joshua Brown in May of 2016. The driver was using the self-drive autopilot system when he collided with a truck.
The Regulators report apparently blames human error rather than the unfamiliar new technology…
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Nissan recalls over 150,000 vehicles over potentially deadly airbags.
Nissan has recalled a total of 152,554 vehicles after reports of defective airbag inflators causing injury and death. The airbag inflators may rupture: exploding and shooting metal fragments into the cabin of the car; potentially causing substantial harm.
This defect is susceptible to rupturing for a number of reasons:
- Propellant degradation;
- Long term exposure to absolutely humidity;
- Exposure to temperature cycling (quickly going from one temperature extreme to the other).
VW’s fines and penalties hailed as strong deterrent
Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has hailed fines and penalties inflicted upon the VW Group as a great success for deterring further cheating from other automakers.
According to Reuters, Christopher Grundler, director of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, in a meeting with automotive engineers commented on the effectiveness of the fines and penalties. He said, “It gets everybody’s attention”.
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Takata to plead guilty for the airbag defect scandal
Major auto part maker Takata is set to plead guilty and pay a $1 billion settlement in a plea agreement over an airbag fault scandal.
It has been called one of the “largest and most complex safety recall” cases in history, with defects linked to 16 deaths worldwide, and a further 100 injuries reported.
The airbag’s defect can lead to a sudden explosion, shooting sharp metal fragments into the cars cabin. A safety device that’s intended to save lives has ended up costing them instead.
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VW Group Action Settlement offers approved by U.S. judges
On 14th February 2017, the U.S. federal judge decided to share the love with thousands of affected vehicle owners when it granted preliminary approval to a $1.22 billion (£979 million) settlement offer made by VW.
In a separate hearing, U.S. District Judge, Charles Breyer, also approved a $327.5 (£262) million settlement offer made by Bosch.
Things are moving forward nicely in the U.S. which is, to be fair, frustrating for the thousands of U.K. clients we act for! We’re still confident we can win the cases though. So we’ll keep fighting them!
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Coca-Cola has ‘misled’ consumers for years, according to the CSPI
A lawsuit has been brought against Coca-Cola for allegedly misleading consumers in relation to the health risks that consuming sugary drinks can pose.
According to the suit, filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), it’s alleged that Coca-Cola, together with the industry group the American Beverage Association (ABA), have misled customers regarding the health risks of drinking sugary drinks.
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Class 4 MHRA alert: Mirena inserters incorrectly mounted
Bayer plc, a global pharmaceutical company, has received two complaints with regards to its Mirena inserters. The complaints detail that the insertion tube was mounted inversely to the handle, and this has led to an inversion of the insertion depth scale, which may lead to incorrect insertion depth; consequently reducing the efficacy and/or causing injuries.
An investigation has shown that both complaints involve one batch of inserters and a Mirena batch number TU01BPE. The affected batch was first distributed on 29th August 2016, with an expiry in June 2019.
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Land Rovers and Jaguars rolling away while parked reportedly causing injuries
According to automotive regulators, some Land Rover SUVs and Jaguar XF sedans have been reported to cause injuries after the vehicles rolled away while parked.
Seven reports were received of rollaway vehicles for the following models: year 2012-2014 Land Rover Evoque sport-utility vehicles; and 2013 Jaguar XF sedan vehicles.
It’s thought that approximately 39,000 vehicles could be affected by the problem though, which is a lot of potential accidents waiting to happen…
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Arthritis tablets may adversely affect users who rely solely on Braille
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recently issued a caution relating to a drug that treats adult patients with active rheumatoid arthritis or active psoriatic arthritis.
Global pharmaceutical company Sanofi informed the medical agency of the error on the Braille on the packaging of some batches of the Arava 10mg film-coated tablets. The affected batches were distributed in May 2016, August 2016, September 2016 and October 2016 with batch numbers 5JK2A, 5JK3A, 5JK6G and 6EV2A accordingly.
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Why have affected Honda Odyssey minivan owners had to wait six years for a remedy?
Honda have been in the firing line following their reportedly lax attitude in recalling defective minivans.
Vehicle owners have reported that their minivans’ second row seats are unstable. The second-row seats have a lever that allows the seats to slide forward so that passengers can access the third row.
The Japanese automakers state that the release lever may remain unlocked due to a manufacturing fault of the spring, which allows the second-row seats to move spontaneously – also known as free-sliding.
In the event of a crash, an unlocked seat could jolt second-row passengers forward, which could cause disastrous injuries; which is rather worrying…
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Samsung Galaxy S7 camera glass is apparently “spontaneously shattering”
Samsung have had a rough time lately; unfortunately for them, things don’t look to be getting better anytime soon…
Following Samsung’s rough 2016 with many reports of Samsung mobiles ‘overheating and exploding’, and their washing machine tops detaching from the body, 2017 isn’t looking any better as Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge and S7 Active owners are complaining that the glass on their smartphone camera is “shattering spontaneously!”
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