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Seasonal Items
Name of Product: CORAL Swim 'N Score Pool Stix
Retailer: Modell's Sporting Goods, of New York, N.Y. They were manufactured in Taiwan.
Hazard: Children can fall or land on these dive sticks in shallow water and suffer
impalement injuries. Eye and other facial injuries are also possible. In April
2001, CPSC banned certain types of dive sticks. No injuries or incidents have
been reported.
Description: The recalled Pool Stix are weighted plastic tubes, which stand upright when tossed into water. The sticks are about 8 inches long and were sold in packs of six in various colors. The UPC (#4969382814) is printed on the product's packaging.
Sold at: Modell's Sporting Goods stores nationwide from August 1999 to October 2008 for about $3.
Remedy: Consumers should keep children from playing with the recalled dive sticks and return the product to any Modell's Sporting Goods for a full refund.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Modell's at (800) 275-6633 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at www.modells.com/recall. (11-13-08)
Name of Product: Casper the Friendly Ghost Halloween Mini-Figurines
Importer: Coyne's & Company Inc., of Minneapolis, Minn. They were manufactured in China.
Hazard: The recalled Halloween figurines contain high levels of lead in the paint. No injuries or incidents have been reported.
Description: The recalled Casper the Friendly Ghost mini-figurines are made of
resin and paper, and are 3 inches tall. They were sold in mini bags decorated
with a spider and web design. The Casper the Friendly Ghost figurines are dressed
as Dracula in a red spider bag, Skeleton in a green spider bag, Devil in a purple
spider bag, Mummy in an orange spider bag, Casper in a blue spider bag and Wendy
the Witch is in a yellow spider bag. The figurines are stamped with TM & Harvey
Ent. "Coyne's & Company" and "CP1030" are printed on a white sticker on the
bottom of the bags.
Sold by: Gift, specialty, card and drug stores nationwide from June 2005 through September 2008 for between $1 and $3.
Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled figurines away from children
and contact Coyne's & Company to receive a full refund or credit.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Coyne's & Company at (800) 336-8666 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at www.coynes.com. (10-30-08)
Name of Product: Ghost Tealight Holders
Importer: Trade Associates Group Ltd., of Chicago, Ill. They were manufactured in China.
Retailers: Crate & Barrel, of Northbrook, Ill., and other retailers
Hazard: The recalled tealight holder can ignite posing a fire and burn hazard
to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: There have been five reports of the tealight holders igniting and one report of the holder becoming excessively hot. Two consumers suffered burns to the hand. Minor property damage to furniture has also been reported.
Description: The recalled product is a metal tealight candle holder in the shape of a ghost. The product is white with a black base. They were sold by Crate & Barrel as a set of 3 (SKU #370-846 and/or Catalog Item #X2006) and by other retailers as individual units (SKU #770123). The SKU can be located on the product's packaging.
Sold through: Crate & Barrel's October catalog and stores nationwide from August 2008 to October 2008 for about $10 for a set of 3, and other houseware retail stores nationwide from August 2008 to October 2008 for between $3 and $5 for individually packaged units.
Remedy: Consumers should stop using the Ghost Tealight Holders immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a full refund.
Consumer Contact: For additional information on purchases made from Crate & Barrel contact the firm at (800) 451-8217 between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT Monday through Sunday. For items purchased elsewhere, contact Trade Associates Group toll-free at (888) 621-8350 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.tagltd.com. (10-30-08)
Name of Product: Blue Ember Gas Grills
Importer: Fiesta Gas Grills, of Dickson, Tenn. They were manufactured in China.
Hazard: The gas grills can be assembled improperly exposing the gas burner hoses to excessive heat, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Fiesta has received 14 reports of grill fires. No injuries have been reported.
Description: The recall involves Blue Ember liquid propane (LP) or natural gas
outdoor grills. The recalled model and serial numbers are listed below. The model
and serial numbers are printed on a rating plate label on the rear of the grill.
The cabinet style grill has two doors and is silver-colored and black or silver-colored
and gray. "Blue Ember" is printed on the grill's hood.
Model Numbers: FG50057 or FG50069
Serial Numbers: 08K018821-08K018948, 08K043658-008K043785, 08K018309-08K018692, 08K018693-08K018820, 08K044554-08K044681, 08K054921-08K056968, 08K026501-08K033172, 08K052233-08K053512, 08K057481-08K057864, 08K057765-08K060045, 08K033317-08K038068, 08K040117-08K042708, 08K044572-08K047883, 08K048790-08K051669, 08K000001-08K000640, 08K007425-08K007808, 08K053641-08K054920, 08K000641-08K000768, 08U042773-08U046804 08K006915-08K007042, 08K044042-08K044297, 08K048396-08K048523, 08K007299-08K007426, 08K044298-08K044425, 08K018949-08K019332, 08K016003-08K016258, 08K017797-08K017924, 08K044426-08K044553, 08K048268-08K048395, 08K017925-08K018052, 08K042277-08K042634, 08K015875-08K016002, 08K053385-08K053640, 08K007043-08K007298, 08K038069-08K038196, 08K051926-08K052052, 08K060193-08K060320
Sold at: Various home centers and retailers nationwide from November 2007 through June 2008 for about $450.


Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the grills and inspect the burner hoses to make sure they have been properly assembled. If the hose is to the rear of the installed heat shield, the grill has been improperly assembled and consumers should contact Fiesta for replacement hoses, assembly instructions and, if necessary, for assistance in examining the grill.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Fiesta toll-free at (866) 740-7849 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, visit the firm's Web site at www.fiestagasgrills.com (note: this is a .doc document), or e-mail the firm at mnorman@fiestagasgrills.com. (10-23-08)
In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Chance Rides Manufacturing Inc. (CRM), of Wichita, Kan., is voluntarily recalling to inspect and repair about 85 YO-YO amusement rides across the country.
CPSC has received reports of two incidents involving the YO-YO ride resulting
in injuries to children and adults, including scraped knees and back strains.
On May 16, 2008, 23 riders of a YO-YO ride in Angels Camp, Calif., fell to the
ground when the sweep arms suspending the circular swinging chairs they were riding
in broke free from the ride's center cylinder rod. The inspection program will
focus on preventing future failures.
CRM is offering ride owners and state safety officials inspection/repair kits and new inspection and maintenance guidelines. To receive the inspection/repair kit or for more information, owners and state safety officials can contact CRM at (800) 242-6231 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.
CPSC is working with state regulators and insurance providers to ensure that these safety inspections and modifications are conducted. While CPSC has jurisdiction over mobile amusement rides and conducts incident investigations, states and local communities are responsible for inspections and oversight of rides such as the YO-YO.
For more information about which states have amusement ride inspection programs and which agencies carry out that responsibility, CPSC has published a Directory of State Amusement Ride Safety Officials (August 2008), which can be downloaded at www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/amuse.pdf. (10-09-08)
Name of Products: Portable Garden Hose Reel Carts and Wagons
Importer: Eley Corporation, dba Rapid Reel of Lincoln, Neb. They were manufactured in China.
Hazard: The tires on the portable garden hose reel can explode while being inflated, posing an injury hazard to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Rapid Reel has received five reports of tires exploding while being inflated, resulting in lacerations to fingers, arms and legs from flying pieces of plastic.
Description: This recall involves the Rapid Reel portable garden hose reel carts and wagons. The cart has two tires and the wagon has four. The tires have a white plastic rim and a steel ball bearing hub or a black plastic bearing hub.
Sold by: Home repair retailers and distributors such as Ace Hardware, Amazon.com
and True Value Hardware nationwide from April 2005 through March 2006 for between
$190 and $250.
Remedy: Consumers should not inflate tires on the portable hose carts and contact Rapid Reel for free replacement tires.
Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Rapid Reel toll-free at (866) 523-2363 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm's Web site at www.rapidreel.com. (9-02-08)
Name of Product: Perfect Flame Double Lid Four Burner Gas Grills
Retailer: Lowe's Home Centers, Inc., of North Wilkesboro, N.C., and Lowe's HIW, Inc., of Tukwila, Wash. They were manufactured in China.
Hazard: The cooking chamber of the grill can melt and/or ignite, posing a risk of fires and burn injuries to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: There have been 175 reports of grill fires and 25 reports of grills melting, some of which resulted in minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.
Description: This recall involves Perfect Flame brand grills, Model GAC3615 four burner LP gas grills. The grill has two lids. "Perfect Flame" is printed on the larger lid. The model number, serial number and date code are printed on a label on the right side cart frame panel. The following serial numbers and date codes are included in this recall.
Model Number: GAC3615
Date Code: Serial Number
KU (July 07): 000001 - 001278, 001282 – 001423
KV (Aug. 07): 001424 - 001849, 001855 – 005404
KW (Sept. 07): 005405 - 006540, 006548 - 009671, 010299 – 010440
KX (Oct. 07): 010005 - 010297, 010441 - 014305, 014322 – 017164
KY (Nov. 07): 017165 - 020714, 020715 – 022856
KZ (Dec. 07): 022859 - 023284, 024301 – 025862
Sold exclusively at: Lowe's stores nationwide from October 2007 through July 2008 for about $300.
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled grills, disconnect the propane tanks and return the grills without the propane tanks to any Lowe's store to receive a full refund.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Lucas Innovation toll-free at (877) 385-8226 between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit www.gac3615grillrecall.com. (8-13-08)
Name of Product: Engines used in SpeeCo and Huskee Brand Log Splitters
Manufacturer: American Honda Motor Corp., of Torrance, Calif. They were manufactured in the United States.
Hazard: The engine's fuel tank can crack and leak, posing a risk of fire or explosion. No injuries or incidents have been reported.
Description: The recall involves Honda engines (model type GCV160LA N1A) used in Split Master by SpeeCo and Huskee brand log splitters. Only engine serial numbers between 5547012 and 6880908 are included in the recall. The serial number is located below the upper shroud near the oil dip-stick. The following models of log splitters are affected by the recall and are either silver/black or red/black colored.
Huskee Log Splitter
LS401227TS (22 Ton)
LS401228NO (27 Ton)
SpeeCo Split Masters
LS401228SP (22 Ton)
LS401227NO (22 Ton)
LS401225NO (25 Ton)
Sold at: The log splitters with the recalled engines were sold at outdoor power
equipment dealers and Tractor Supply stores nationwide from January 2007 through
June 2008 for between $1,150 and $1,500.
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the affected log splitters and contact any Honda Lawn and Garden dealer or Honda Engine dealer for a free repair. Registered owners of the recalled log splitters will be mailed a notice.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Honda at (800) 426-7701 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.hondapowerequipment.com. (7-17-08)
Name of Product: Honda Lawn Mowers
Hazard: The lawn mower's rear shield can break off allowing debris to be thrown toward the operator, which poses a laceration hazard to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: American Honda has received one report of a shield breaking off the lawn mower. No injuries have been reported.
Description: This recall involves HRX walk-behind lawn mowers with model numbers HRX217(K)2HXA and HRX217(K)2HMA. The model and serial number are printed on a label located on the upper rear of the mower deck. Serial numbers included in the recall are MAGA-1500001 through 1520532. The recalled lawn mowers are red with "HONDA" written on the bag.
Sold by: Authorized American Honda Motor Corp. dealers and Home Depot stores
nationwide from October 2007 to June 2008 for about $900.
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled lawn mowers and contact their local Honda Lawn and Garden dealer to schedule a free repair. Registered owners of the recalled lawn mowers have been contacted by direct mail notification.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Honda at (800) 426-7701 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit Honda's Web site at www.hondapowerequipment.com. (7-15-08)
Name of Product: Oh Chute Parachute with Streamer Fireworks
Distributor: Fireworks Over America, of Springfield, Mo. They were manufactured in China.
Hazard: The parachutes can become entangled in overhead power lines, causing a shock hazard to users and bystanders.
Incidents/Injuries: Fireworks Over America has received one report of entanglement, in which a consumer's hand was burned and shocked.
Description: The recalled Oh Chute Parachute with streamers is a firework item with a light blue cylinder with white clouds. The model name is printed in triplicate on the front of the tube and FOA #2085 is on the lower back of the tube. This item is sold separately or in a box of four.
Sold by: Various fireworks stores nationwide from April 2007 through June 2008
for about $2.50 each and $8 a box.
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the product and return it to either the place of purchase or Fireworks Over America for a full refund.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Fireworks Over America at (800) 345-3957 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.fireworksoveramerica.com. (7-04-08)
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