In light of the recent Honda hiccups, for example thousands of recalls due to defective airbag inflators and faulty breaks in 2011 and 2010, one would presume the company previously known for its quality and reliability would make a quick turn around for the new year. However, by the way things have been going, it appears the unreliable side of Honda is rearing its ugly head. 

The automaker on Wednesday recalled 45,800 of its Odyssey minivans because the gas-filled struts that hold up the rear hatch could fail unexpectedly leading to potentially serious injuries. It’s the third safety-related service action since just the beginning of February and the fourth since the beginning of 2012.  This less than two months after the December recall of 273,000 Honda and Acura products due to potentially defective airbag inflators. In 2011, Honda recalled more vehicles than any other manufacturer operating in the U.S. market.

While the automaker is still ranked one of the most high-quality and reliable manufacturers in the industry, that could be changing.  According to George Peterson, chief analyst with AutoPacific, Inc. ,  surveys are already showing a decline in consideration for Honda – a term referring to the number of buyers who put a particular brand on their shopping list.

While the 2012 recalls have been modest compared to previous years, the trend certainly cannot be helpful to the company. Owning any vehicle should not mean constantly worrying whether it contains some dangerous defect, that might materialize at any moment.

If you’ve been seriously affected by this recall or any Honda recalls, please contact our firm immediately. You can read about our firm’s experience with personal injury claims here.

The much anticipated Ducati 2011 and 2012 Hypermotard and Monster motorcycles have recently been recalled due to possible cracks in the fuel lines.

The Italian manufacturer says the recall affects 913 motorcycles, which were manufactured from June 25, 2011, through Nov. 30, 2011. The company said some of the bikes have fuel lines with a condition called micro-cracking that resulted from problems with raw materials used in the manufacturing process. The cracking could cause a fuel leak, which increase the risk of injury by fire.

Under the recall Ducati will notify owners, and its dealers will replace the fuel lines free of charge. Owners can contact Ducati at 800-231-6696 or visit its website at www.ducati.com.

If you’ve been seriously affected by this recall, please contact our firm immediately. You can read about our firm’s experience with personal injury claims here.

York International re-announced the recall of certain furnace models recently, citing the product can overheat, causing a fire hazard.

The dangers are extensive. Overheating may cause the heat-exchanger to crack and create openings that allow flames to be exposed. When this occurs, dry wall and other nearby combustibles are exposed to the flames, posing a fire and smoke hazard to consumers.

The firm originally recalled these furnaces in November 2004, after receiving 27 reports of overheating and fire hazards. However, since the recall, 366 additional incidences have been reported, including some involving extreme property damage.

Manufactured in the U.S. between 1995 and 2000, the recalled furnaces includes about 223,600 in the U.S. and 2,400 in Canada, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada reported.

The furnaces are silver with white access panels. The brand names are Coleman, Coleman Evcon, or Red T are located on the middle of the front access panel. The model number is written on the face-plate, found by removing both front access panels. The faceplate is mounted on the left inside surface behind the lower panel. Specific model numbers can be found at the Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

If you’ve been seriously affected by this recall, please contact our firm immediately. You can read about our firm’s experience with personal injury claims here.

Pfizer announced yesterday that it is recalling 1 million packages of its Lo/Ovral-28 tablets and generic Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol tablets because the pills in the packaging may be out of order. This mix-up could result in unintended pregnancies.

In the birth control packets affected by the recall, there are 21 days worth of white, active pills (which have hormones in them that prevent pregnancy) and seven days of pink, inert pills (which don’t contain any hormones and are just meant as a placeholder). But according to Pfizer, some of the inert pills are appearing at the wrong time of month, when women are fertile.

Dr. Adam Griffin, an assistant professor in the obstetrics and gynecology department at the University of Rochester Medical Center, indicates that generally, in cases where a woman misses just one pill due to her own forgetfulness, it’s not a big concern, and she should just take it as soon as she remembers (even if it means taking two of the pills in one day). But when more than one consecutive pill is missed, “then there’s an increased risk of contraceptive failure,” he said. The highest risk of pregnancy from the recall would be “if the mislabeled pills were in the week right before the seven days of inert pills, or in the week following the seven days of inert pills.”

Typically, when unprotected sex occurs, a woman has the option of taking a morning after pill in the couple of days following the sexual activity to minimize risk of pregnancy, Griffin said. But in this case, a woman may not know when the unprotected sex occurred because she wouldn’t know which pill in the pack was mislabeled.

According to CNN, women who are taking one of the recalled pills – all of which expire between July 31, 2013 and March 31, 2014 – should return them to the pharmacy, consult their health care providers and begin a non-hormonal barrier contraceptive.

Pfizer has issued a complete list of the recalled pill’s lot numbers on their company website.

If you’ve been seriously affected by this recall, please contact our firm immediately. You can read about our firm’s experience with personal injury claims here.