Starting this week more than 27,000 consumers who purchased certain vacuum cleaners and air purifiers made by Oreck will be getting checks for $25 from the Federal Trade Commission under an agreement between the government and the manufacturer. Oreck claimed its Halo vacuum and ProShield Plus air purifier could reduce the risk of flu and other illnesses, and eliminate virtually all common germs and allergens. Last year Oreck agreed to pay the FTC a $750,000 fine.

Two recent incidents in which metal bristles from a grill-cleaning brush were accidentally ingested are drawing attention to an unexpected grilling hazard. Men in New Jersey and Washington state were taken to local hospitals with stomach pain after barbecuing. In both cases, they had swallowed a bristle that had become attached to the food after the grill was cleaned. Both men underwent emergency surgery when the bristles perforated their intestines.

A safety recall alert for breaking glass lids included in 13-piece Circulon cookware sets have been issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The lids for the 5-quart sauté pan in the sets may crack, break or shatter during use and pose cut hazards to consumers, warns the federal safety agency.

Even as the rates of some cancers are falling, the Mayo Clinic is seeing a dramatic rise in skin cancer among people under age 40.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched official investigations into engine fires involving 2010 Jeep Wrangler SUVs and 2011 Chevrolet Cruze sedans. The safety agency has received several reports of unexpected engine compartment fires completely destroying the vehicles made by Chrysler and General Motors, respectively.

Honda plans to recall 2002-2004 Honda CR-V and 2003 Honda Pilot SUVs next month. According the company, about 554,000 of the Honda sport-utility vehicles have wiring faults that may fail to to turn on the front low beam headlights.

General Motors announced yesterday that it is replacing the portable charging devices used to recharge the Chevrolet Volt from any standard 120-volt household electrical outlet. The new charger is said to have a thicker and more durable cable to enhance the charger's durability, said GM.

Approximately 7,000 ceiling fans are being recalled by Westinghouse Lighting Corp., said the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The fan and light kits come with 60-watt lightbulbs, which exceed the fixtures' wattage ratings, posing a risk of overheating, fire and electric shock to consumers.

For National Poison Prevention Week (March 18-24), now in its 50th year, experts are reminding families to keep their homes safe for children by securing medicines, chemicals, and pesticides in locked cabinets.

A recall of 2011-2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid cars has been issued by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 14,700 of the Hyundai hybrid vehicles have rear center seat belts which fail to meet federal safety standards. However, Hyundai believes it doesn't need to fix the seat belt issue with all Sonata hybrids—or notify all affected Sonata owner, as required by the usual federal safety recall procedures.

A federal probe into 2005-06 Ford Taurus sedans has been opened by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after 14 consumer complaints of stuck throttles.

Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro users may be entitled to either cash back or replacements for an allegedly defective power adapter that came with their laptops (or that they purchased separately for these computers), if the settlement is approved.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall notice for locking pill containers sold by Locker Brand Inc. of Henderson, Nev. The Rx Locker

The Consumer Product Safety Commission's first Twitter chat tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET will be about simple, inexpensive ways you can childproof your televisions and furniture to help prevent child injury and death from tip-overs.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into 2006 and 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazers SUVs. The safety agency has received consumer complaints of the power windows switches on the driver's door melting or burning.