General Motors is recalling 2007-2010 Saturn Aura models and
2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 models, which are equipped with four-speed
automatic transmissions.
About 426,000 sedans are involved in the recall.
On these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable
end may fracture and separate, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration said in a statement.
If the tabs fracture and separate, the shift lever and the
actual position of the transmission gear may not match. The driver would be
able to move the shifter to “Park” and remove the ignition key, but the
transmission gear may not be in “Park.” The vehicle may not be able to be
restarted, and it could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle,
resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer over the cable end
or replace the shift cable, if needed, at no cost.
GM hasn’t provided a notification schedule, the
administration said. Owners can contact General Motors at 800-521-7300.
Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Like most people, my life is busy. I finally found the time
to organize some photos to try out a photo processor, but I got worried when my
check engine light came on.
My best consumer experience: Checking out Costco’s photo
department
Ritz Camera closed its last store, the second of two, in my
community. A big disappointment. With only two stores left in the state, a
friend and I were lucky to get a photo book finished that we were working on.
I tried Costco. The photos were fine. That’s one of the
photos above. I sell my photos on greeting cards, so I like to have excellent
quality.
However, at Costco, their machines don’t offer many options
for editing for 4 x 6 photos – minimal cropping, but no enhancing or changing
the colors.
Most of the editing I do is cropping, and I can do that on
my Apple computer before I take them on a disk.
My worst consumer experience: The check engine light coming
on in my car
Today, just as I was approaching my acupuncture’s office,
the check engine light came on.
Now, I know the oil light is critical. You must stop the car
immediately. But I couldn’t remember about the check engine light. I worried
about it during my appointment. It’s the Saturday before Labor Day. My mechanic
isn’t open today and won’t be on Monday either.
When I finished my appointment, I looked in my car’s
instruction book. It said the check light is about the emissions system. I need
to get it checked right away. I’m relieved it’s not urgent.
It’s a good thing I don’t have a big Labor Day trip planned.
Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
American Honda is recalling more than 172,200 small-size 2012 Honda CR-V SUVs and 2013 Acura ILX sedans due to issues with the vehicles front door locks, according to Consumer Reports.
The vehicles' front doors may not properly latch closed and increase the risk of injuries from doors that open unexpectedly while the vehicles are in motion, according to the company.
For more details, see the Consumer Reports article.
Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
About five years ago, kids age 5 and under began driving their small battery operated cars around the loop street I live on. It was scary.
Garbage trucks barrel around this neighborhood. I asked one driver why they go so fast. He told me that if they finish their route before 5 p.m., they get to go home. I asked him to slow down for the sake of the kids. I didn’t see any of the garbage trucks going slower.
I think battery operated cars are dangerous for young kids, and parents and grandparents should avoid buying them for children.
Another troubling trend is the princess phenomena for young girls. With so much emphasis on princess movies, toys, dresses, and crowns, girls think about being and becoming princesses. They are getting unrealistic ideas about what lives as women are like.
“This princess mania, many argue, leaves girls all mixed up,” Jessica Bennett writes in The Daily Beast article “Disney Princesses and the Battle for Your Daughter’s Soul.” “While they excel in school and outpace their male peers in science and math, they also obsess about Prince Charming and who has the prettiest dress, learning –from a mix of mass marketing and media – not that girls are strong, smart, or creative, but that each is a little princess of her own, judged by the beauty of her face (and gown).”
Disney alone has 26,000 Disney princess items on the market today, part of a $4 billion-a-year franchise that is the fastest-growing brand the company has ever created, Bennett said.
It seems Neveah has been fascinated with the neighborhood pond since her dad told her that kissing the pond frogs might turn them into Prince Charming.
The girls were playing "fairy tales," riding along in a Barbie car and looking for Prince Charming. Neveah turned her back, and, when she looked around, her sister had fallen in the pond.
Fortunately, Neveah grabbed a stick and pulled her sister out of the water.
The Huffington Post article ended with: “Now neither of the girls are allowed to play near the pond and must put their quest for Prince Charming on hold.”
In my opinion, battery operated cars for young kids and letting your daughter get hooked on the princess phenomena can have bad results for your children and grandchildren.
Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Companies that insure homes paid about $35 billion in loss claims last year, and auto insurers say they’re alarmed about higher claims costs.
So consumers need to be extra careful to get their due from auto, home, and life policies.
If you have to file a claim on your auto or home policy, or on a loved one’s life insurance, it pays to know the right procedures and how to resolve problems, according to Consumer Reports Money Adviser. Here’s what you need to do:
Auto
When an accident occurs. When a crash involves another person or vehicle, call the police to officially document the incident. If you can, take your own notes at the scene. At a minimum, get the other vehicle’s license-plate information.
You should also get the other driver’s name, address, driver’s license number, insurer’s name and policy number, and vehicle-registration details. Use your cell-phone camera to take photos of the scene from all angles.
When filing the claim. Always call your own insurer right away if a crash involves another person or vehicle. Never agree to skip reporting a crash out of sympathy for an at-fault motorist who promises to pay you out-of-pocket.
If you’re at fault, you might not want to file a report with your insurer if damage is limited to your own vehicle and you expect costs to be within your deductible or slightly more.
You might be pressured to take your car to a shop in the insurer’s direct-repair program or to use cheaper replacement parts instead of original equipment manufacturer parts. You’re under no obligation to accept either.
Home
When the loss occurs. First, make sure your family is safe and that emergency personnel have been called to protect your home. As soon as practical, take pictures of the damage. Then take steps to prevent further damage, such as covering a hole in the roof with a tarp.
Keep receipts for any money you spend to prevent further losses. But don’t repair anything or dispose of ruined property until an adjuster has examined everything.
If you were burglarized, call the police first and your insurance agent later. If someone trips and falls on your front stairs, see to their medical care first. Again, take detailed notes about what happened and get photos of the scene.
Make sure the adjuster sees everything. Ask for a copy of his or her report and scrutinize it for mistakes. You’re also entitled to a copy of your entire claims file.
Copy everything you give the adjuster and ask for a receipt. If he or she advises you to start repairs, get that in writing so promises and permissions can be accurately passed on if your case is transferred to another person.
Life
When the loss occurs. An insurer might delay or deny payment to beneficiaries if the policyholder died within two years after buying the policy. No matter how long a policy was held, however, if no one files a claim, insurers historically haven’t done much to find the beneficiaries.
When filing a claim. Send the insurer a claim form for each beneficiary and a certified copy of the policyholder’s death certificate.
To find out if a deceased family member had a life-insurance policy, check his or her files for the policy itself or billing statements; search bank statements for canceled checks to a life insurer; or contact the employee-benefits office of previous employers or unions.
Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Toyota is recalling nearly 500,000 Tacoma trucks, manufactured from Sept. 14, 2004, through Aug. 29, 2008.
Over time, steering wheel vibration may damage the spiral cable assembly that powers the driver’s air bag module, Toyota said in a statement on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration website. If damage occurs, the air bag warning lamp will illuminate and the air bag may become deactivated.
In a crash, the driver’s side air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury to consumers.
Toyota also is recalling about 70,500 Camry sedans made during the 2009 model year and about 116,000 Venza crossovers made during the 2009 through 2011 model years, to replace their stop lamp switches.
During installation of the switch on one of the North American assembly lines, silicon grease may have reached the inside of the switch and caused an increase in electrical resistance, Toyota said.
This could cause warning lights to illuminate, keep the vehicle from starting, or prevent it from shifting out of "park," the automaker said.
Toyota will notify owners in both of the recalls, and dealers will replace the defective parts, free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin in early April 2012. Owners can call Toyota at 800-331-4331 for information.
Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
It’s a strange custom. The holiday to honor two great presidents and the history of our country is becoming one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
However, if you want to shop rather than contemplate history, President’s Day sales do offer consumers great deals on cars, furniture, clothing, suits, handbags, and white goods. Prices on some items, such clothing, are better than Black Friday. For cars, it’s the biggest sale of the year.
To keep from making “sale fever” mistakes, follow these tips:
Make a list of what you’re looking for.
Compare prices. Check the Internet for what’s up in sale prices before you hit the mall.
Start early so you can get the sale items in your size before they’re gone.
Use apps that scan bar codes to see what others are selling the item for.
Look for coupons on sites such as RetailMeNot before you go.
Check social media sites, especially Facebook, because companies may be advertising their sales there first.
Look for travel deals. You can still get big savings and there’s lots to do in historical cities such as Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, and New York.
Ads during Sunday’s Super Bowl cost $3.5 million for a 30-second spot, up from last year's $2.7 million.
Although the 2012 offerings seemed to have fewer ads where people were slapped or knocked down, the display again was marred by violent images.
Do advertisers and public relations firms think it’s acceptable to show ads depicting violence and sexism, where people head butted and bikini-clad women are shown because mostly men watch football?
Here are my awards for the worst ads airing during this year’s Super Bowl:
Unnecessary violence:
Dannon thinks it will sell yogurt by having a woman head butt a man, knocking him to the floor, after he won’t share the container of yogurt. In a Doritos ad, a man suspects his dog of killing and burying the family cat. The dog gives him a bag of Doritos to keep it quiet. The Voice stars think by fighting, breaking things, blasting out a wall, and having Betty White say a few words, you’ll watch their TV show. A sexy woman slaps a man, speaks in Spanish, whispers in his ear, dabs foam from a latte on a his lips, then it all melts away into the first time sensations of buying a Fiat 500.
Silliest:
Cars.com showed us a man so confident about researching cars on Cars.com that he’s grown an appendage with his head on it that comes out of his back. It’s his “confidence,” singing happily about the car in a high voice. Coke’s polar bear ads, one featuring a bear trying to keep the Coke away from the other bears, seemed silly. You have the best minds in the country working on these ads. Couldn’t they have come up with something meaningful? I also thought the Chevy Sonic ad was silly, with a car skydiving and bungee jumping. Bud Light focused on the silly again this year, with a dog fetching beer from the refrigerator and other places, attracting women along the way.
Instead of violent Snickers ads showing Betty White being tackled in a backyard football game during or Roseanne Barr being downed by a huge log, Mars made a big deal this year about introducing a new M&M with a chocolate colored shell, Ms. Brown. A partygoer accused her of being naked, and Mr. Red whipped off his shell.
Most sexist:
Teleflora may have hit an all time low with a sexy woman getting dressed, then saying through red-pursed lips, “Give and you shall receive.” Go Daddy.com takes two guys to the “cloud” populated with scantily clad women. The McLendon Hardware offering shows a father giving advice to his son before his wedding. It sounds like it’s going to be sexual information about what he should learn to do to please his wife, but instead it’s about getting good tools. In “A Dream Car for Life,” Kia uses a scantily clad flag girl and fills the stands bikini clad women. H&M spent 30 seconds slowly moving over David Beckham’s tattooed body, and briefly, his briefs.
Most irritating:
GE’s offered several ads to pump up the company’s image. If GE was going to spend that kind of money, they should have thought of something interesting.
Unfortunately, the Super Bowl featured ad after ad for violent movies, which along with the violent ads and player clashes, added to the overemphasis on violence. Among the movies advertised were “John Carter,” “Star Wars – Episode 1 in 3-D,” “The Avengers,” “G.I. Joe,” and “Act of Valor.”
For more information on the best and worse Super Bowl ads, see The Wall Street Journal’s “Super Bowl Ads 2012.” To vote for your favorite ads, go to NBC Sports Network’s “Super Bowl Admeter.”
Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
E-Z-GO, a Textron Company, is recalling about 21,900 TXT golf cars, Cushman shuttle vehicles, and Bad Boy off-road utility vehicles
The threaded end of the rack rod ball joint can break and the ball joint may become displaced, causing the driver to lose steering control. Thus, a crash could occur.
E-Z-GO is aware of 71 reports of the ball joint breaking, 13 of which resulted in the ball joint displacing, the firm and the U.S. Consumer Product Commission said in a joint statement. No injuries have been reported.
The recalled vehicles are gas- and electric-powered, four-wheeled vehicles with bench seats for the driver and passengers.
The brand and model names are printed on the side and front panels of the vehicles. Serial numbers are printed on a plate or label located on the exterior of the vehicle below the driver’s seat. Click here to see the model numbers involved in the recall.
Manufactured in the United States, the vehicles were sold at E-Z-GO and Bad Boy dealers nationwide from February 2011 through July 2011 for between $6,650 and $10,650.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled vehicles and contact E-Z-GO or an authorized dealer for a free repair, the company and commission advise. E-Z-GO and E-Z-GO dealers are contacting known owners.
For additional information, contact E-Z-GO toll-free at 800-774-3946 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET or visit the firm’s website at www.ezgo.com.
