Total Recall: Dangerous Dolls, Eye-Popping Exercise Bands, Risky Off-Road Bikes
With companies announcing a seemingly constant stream of new recalls, it can be a challenge for consumers to keep track of the latest products and food getting pulled off the shelves. To make life easier, DailyFinance will now collect them all in one place for you to check each week.
This is Total Recall.
Beware Soft Dolls with Looped Hair
On Thursday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada announced a voluntary recall by Pottery Barn Kids, a division of Williams-Sonoma (WSM), of 84,300 soft dolls named Chloe, Sophie and Audrey -- 81,000 sold in the U.S. and 1,300 in Canada -- because of a strangulation hazard. According to the USPSC, "The hair on the Chloe and Sophie dolls may contain loops that are large enough to fit around a child's head and neck, and the headband on the Audrey doll, if loosened, can form a loop that fits around" the same. Pottery Barn has received five reports of dolls with looped hair, "including one report in which a loop of the Chloe doll's hair was found around the neck of a 21-month old child. The child was not injured."
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The dolls, part of Pottery Barn Kids' Doll Collection, are approximately 17 inches high, and the offending hair is made of yarn -- Audrey's black, Chloe's dark brown, and Sophie's blonde. (The names are sewn onto the bottoms of the dolls.) Manufactured in China, they were sold exclusively at Pottery Barn Kids stores nationwide, online at potterybarnkids.com and through Pottery Barn Kids catalogs from July 2006 to April 2011, for around $40. Consumers are advised to take the dolls away from children immediately and "cut the looped hair of the Chloe and Sophie dolls and remove the headband of the Audrey doll to eliminate the hazard." A merchandise credit is also available for those who wish to return their dolls; for instructions, contact Pottery Barn Kids toll-free at (855) 880-4505 between 4 a.m. and 9 p.m. PST, seven days a week, or online at www.potterybarnkids.com.
Exercise Extreme Caution Before "Embark"ing
Also on Thursday, Target (TGT) said it would voluntarily recall 447,000 Embark Resistance Cords and Cord Kits due to an injury hazard posed by a black plastic ball attached to the resistance cord's door anchor. The ball can unexpectedly release and strike the user; three consumers have reported such incidents, two of them resulting in permanent vision loss. ("The severity of the injury in the third incident is unknown," reports CSPS.)
The resistance bands in question are made of green, blue or black rubber with black foam handles and a door attachment, with "Embark" printed on either a black strap attached to the foam handle or on the middle of the rubber cord itself. They were manufactured in China and sold at Target stores nationwide as well as online at Target.com from July 2009 through August 2011, for between $10 and $20. Consumers should stop using the cords immediately and contact the company for repair instructions.
Motorbikes May Go Too Far Off-Road
Finally, on Thursday KTM North America announced a recall of around 6,117 off-road motorcycles due to a fall or crash hazard (which, you would think, sort of comes with the territory). All KTM model year 2011 off-road/competition motorcycles are involved in the recall; according to CPSC, the bike's "handlebar clamp can develop cracks during normal use causing the handlebars to move from their set position. This can result in the rider losing control of the vehicle, posing a fall or crash hazard." And indeed the company has gotten a report of one incident in which a rider was hospitalized due to injuries received in a crash caused by handlebar clamp-cracking. Also affected are 2011 Husaberg off-road/competition motorcycles, which are blue, yellow and white in color and carry the model name and Husaberg logo on their right and left shrouds.
The bikes -- which were manufactured not in China, for a change, but in Austria -- were sold at authorized KTM and Husaberg dealers nationwide from April 2010 through May 2011; they retailed for between $6,200 and $9,500. Customers should stop using the cycles in question and contact their dealers about scheduling a free repair. Find a dealer online at www.ktm.com or www.husaberg.com, or call KTM North America customer relations at (888) 985-6090 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST Monday to Friday.
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