Top Product Ratings:  TVs  |  Digital Cameras  |  Washing Machines  |  Vacuum Cleaners  |  GPS  |  SUVs  |  Car Seats  |  Strollers

Safety & Recalls

The best and worst high chairs from our recent tests
March 26, 2013 9:30 AM

The cute names of some of today's high chairs—Sprout, Juice, Blossom—belie their serious purpose: keeping your baby safe. Some high chairs are better at this than others as Consumer Reports discovered in its latest tests. Of the 10 new models added to our high chair Ratings, two were good enough to make our list of top high chair picks while three others had safety issues serious enough to drop them to the bottom of our rankings.

See the full article

0 Comments

For the best protection, use both types of smoke detectors
March 25, 2013 5:00 PM

A report on smoke alarms on Sunday's episode of Dateline on NBC has triggered further debate about which type of alarm works best: photoelectric or ionization. If you're familiar with Consumer Reports' smoke alarm tests, you know that the answer is ... neither. We recommend both technologies to ensure maximum protection from fire. Here's why.

See the full article

0 Comments

Manufacturer recalls 554,000 LED bulbs from four major brands
March 19, 2013 6:00 PM

After receiving 68 reports of LEDs overheating, including some that produced fire or smoke, the Lighting Science Group has recalled 554,000 lightbulbs sold under the brand names Definity, EcoSmart, Sylvania, and Westinghouse. Included in the incidents were eight that resulted in damage to light sockets, fixtures, rugs, carpet, floors, circuits or lamps. The Lighting Science Group is offering new bulbs to buyers.

See the full article

0 Comments

Five common household products that can poison your child
March 19, 2013 2:00 PM

Every day two children die and more than 300 kids under the age of 19 are treated in emergency rooms as a result of unintentional poisoning. In fact, over the last decade, there's been an 80 percent increase in child poisoning deaths. During National Poison Prevention Week, experts are reminding parents about the everyday products in their homes that put children at risk. Here are the five most common household culprits, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, and how to keep them secure in your home.

See the full article

0 Comments

As poisoning cases rise, a call for safer laundry pod packaging
March 18, 2013 12:15 PM

Since 1961, the third week in March has been designated National Poison Prevention Week. The event was established by Congress as a way to highlight the dangers of poisonings and show how to prevent them. More than 2 million poisonings are reported each year, nine out of 10 of which occur at home. While children are most vulnerable, poisonings are also one of the leading causes of death among adults.

See the full article

1 Comment

After flaw is fixed, the Mutsy Evo stroller passes our tests
March 15, 2013 12:30 PM

Consumer Reports has removed its "Don't Buy: Safety Risk" designation from a stroller it tested last year after finding that a newer model did not pose the same safety risks. In earlier tests, we found that the positioning of the grab bar on the Mutsy Evo stroller posed a strangulation hazard if the child was not harnessed. The Consumer Product Safety Commission agreed and announced the stroller's recall in February. But a newer model, which offers more clearance between the bar and the seat, corrected the flaw and in our second round of tests we rated the stroller very good overall.

See the full article

0 Comments

Upbeat name of SaferProducts.gov confuses users
March 12, 2013 4:30 PM

Let's say you're shopping for a new washing machine. Would you check SaferProducts.gov for reports of dangerous models? Do you even know what SaferProducts.gov is? If you're like the people interviewed by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) for its report on this two-year-old consumer website, the answers are no and no. Which is a shame, since once consumers learn about SaferProducts.gov, they mostly find it useful.

See the full article

0 Comments

Ariens 920014 snow blower recalled due to fire hazard
March 6, 2013 2:00 PM

Briggs & Stratton has announced the recall of 5,400 Ariens 920014 Snow-Throw snow blowers. A carburetor-bowl nut can allow fuel to escape from recalled units, creating a fire hazard. The Ariens 920014 appears in Consumer Reports' snow blower Ratings.

See the full article

0 Comments

Homelite and Expert Gardener leaf blowers recalled due to laceration hazard
February 21, 2013 4:30 PM

OWT Industries has recalled 254,600 Homelite electric leaf blowers and 131,500 Expert Gardener leaf blowers because objects drawn into the blower during vacuum mode can break through the plastic housing, posing a laceration hazard.

See the full article

0 Comments

Babyhome Eat high chair designated Don't Buy: Safety Risk due to strangulation hazard
February 13, 2013 5:30 PM

Consumer Reports has designated the Babyhome Eat high chair as Don't Buy: Safety Risk because it lacks key safety features designed to prevent an unharnessed child from sliding out of the seat or possibly being caught and strangled during a fall. Consumer Reports knows of no deaths or injuries associated with this high chair model.

See the full article

0 Comments

Gun accidents down, but other home accidents on the rise
February 8, 2013 9:00 AM

Contrary to what you might expect from all the news about gun violence, accidental deaths from guns in the home are relatively uncommon, and have actually gone down slightly in recent years, according to a new study. But other deadly accidents at home, including poisonings, falls, and burns, are far more common, and on the rise. The good news: some simple measures can help prevent most of them.

See the full article

0 Comments

Mutsy Evo Stroller recalled for strangulation hazard
February 7, 2013 4:35 PM

The Consumer Product Safety Commission today announced the recall of approximately 340 Mutsy Evo strollers because the opening between the grab bar and seat bottom can allow a child's body to pass through and become entrapped at the neck--a strangulation hazard if the child is not harnessed. The recall comes after Consumer Reports discovered the problem in December 2012 as part of our stroller testing program and notified the CPSC and Mutsy. We designated the stroller as Don't Buy: Safety Risk.

See the full article

0 Comments

Secure your TVs to keep kids from harm
February 1, 2013 10:00 AM

Lots of folks bought a new TV in time to enjoy the Super Bowl and often the old TV winds up in a bedroom. It's crucial to ensure that any TV in your home is installed in a way that doesn't pose a hazard to kids. Televisions were involved in furniture tip-over accidents that killed 206 children ages 8 and younger in the United States during the years 2000 to 2011, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And in the years 2009-2011 alone, 12,700 children under age 10 were brought to hospital emergency departments due to injuries involving TV tip-overs, the CPSC reported. The problem involves both older tube TVs and newer flat-screen models. Fortunately, with either type of TV, such tragedies are easily prevented.

See the full article

0 Comments

Triaminic and Theraflu syrups recalled due to failure of child-resistant caps
January 31, 2013 5:00 PM

Novartis Consumer Health has recalled 2.3 million containers of Triaminic and Theraflu Warming Relief syrups because the child-resistant caps can be removed by children with the tamper-evident seal still in place, posing a poisoning risk.

See the full article

0 Comments

Whole Foods recalls wild Alaskan salmon due to Listeria
January 28, 2013 12:00 PM

Whole Foods Market has recalled one lot code of 4-oz packages of Whole Catch Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon (cold smoked and sliced) because the product may contain Listeria Monocytogenes, which can cause a sometimes fatal infection in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

See the full article

0 Comments

Nobody Tests Like We Do

Our testers put 100s of products through their paces at our National Testing and Research Center. Learn more about how we test for:

  • Performance
  • Safety
  • Reliability