Product Recalls You May Not Know About: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

I confess, I'm a garage sale junkie. On one particular trip, I was thrilled to find a KitchenAid coffeemaker, still in the box, never used for a bargain price! I brought my treasure home and carefully began trying to learn how to operate it.
Failing miserably, I resorted to the internet in search of the product manual.

I was very surprised at what I found. My beautiful, perfect coffee maker was a fire hazard and was on recall. I followed the simple instructions given on the website for filing a product recall claim and within 2 weeks, I received a new replacement coffemaker.

Then it occurred to me, what if I had not looked for the manual? I would have never known the coffee maker I so prized could potentially burn my house down. So, where do you go to find out about product recalls? You could search through thousands of different manufacturers websites, but there is a website that lists all the announced product recalls that are currently available.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website contains a complete listing of virtually any product that has been or is currently on recall. There are over 300 product recalls that have been issued since the beginning of 2006 alone. It is an easy site to navigate allowing you to search for products by date, type, description or company.

Some product recalls involve repairing the product while others offer full refunds and/or product replacement. It is often not neccessary to have receipts or proof of purchase in order to qualify for the product recall and you do not have to be the original owner. In fact, many companies make it quick, simple and painless to replace and/or repair the product that has been recalled.

Here is a small sampling of the product recalls that are currently listed. Be sure and check the website for details and specific models that are effected by the product recall.

Let's start with that beloved coffee maker of mine:

KitchenAid Coffee Makers: Replacement Recall
Sold between January 1999 through December 2004.
See website for specific models.

Additional current product recalls include:

Dove™ Facial Cleansing Massage

Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gyms

Philips Plasma Flat Panel Televisions with Ambilight Feature

AquaPod" 12-Gallon Aquariums

The Little Tikes Glowin' Dino and Glowin' Doggy Animal Flashlights.

Battery Packs Sold with Disney®-Brand DVD Players

Versa Pro 2A Digital Dive Computers

Black & Decker® Brand Thermal Coffeemakers

Troy-Bilt 4-Cycle Gasoline String Trimmers.

This is only a small sampling of the product recalls listed on the website. It is well worth your time to see if you qualify for any of them!