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Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) has issued a recall for some of it's popular Vaio laptops today due to an overheating problem that some consumers have encountered with their machines.

So far, the company has received 209 reports of the popular machines overheating on users, and in 7 instances, users received minor burns as a result of the overheating laptops.

The computers in question involve 19 models in the Vaio TZ series that were produced between the months of May 2007 and July 2008. According to Sony, the problem is a result of some improper wire connections in the hinge between the laptop body and the the monitor that appears to be wearing out and causing short circuits in the machines.

Of the seven injuries that have been reported, five were reported in Japan, and one in both the United States as well as Italy.

The recalled machines are located all over the globe, with around 373,000 of the computers being sold in 48 different countries. The remaining 67,000 recalled machines were sold in Japan.

If you think that your computer may be a part of this recall, you should definitely contact Sony to find out.

Michael Fowlkes has worked as a stock trader for seven years and spent the last four years working as an analyst for the online investment advisory service Investor's Observer.

An Associated Press news release stated that Malt-O-Meal has voluntarily recalled several breakfast cereals in connection with 23 cases of salmonella poisoning in 14 states. The press release indicates that the recall, issued April 5, 2008 is aimed at bags of cereal which were produced in the last 12 months at Malt-O-Meal's Northfield Minnesota facility.

The company is privately held.

The press release states: "(The cereals) were distributed nationally under the Malt-O-Meal brand name, as well as private labels including Acme, America's Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw's, ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality. The cereal bags have "best if used by" dates from April 8, 2008 (coded as APR0808), through March 18, 2009 (coded as MAR1809).

The company urges consumers to discard any unused cereal bearing the effected dates. Retailers have been notified to remove affected product from their shelves. For complete details on this recall, you may review the company's own public notice of recall on the Malt-O-Meal website.

Malt-O-Meal President and CEO Chris Neugent states in the company press release: "Malt-O-Meal has a strong food safety record and we are constantly looking for ways to improve our products and procedures to exceed industry standards. We have a strong food safety program in place throughout our operations, including our warehouse, processing facility and distribution system."


Gary Sattler is a freelance blogger and the Malt-O-Meal, Cinnamon Toasters cereal he ate this morning was quite delicious.

On January 16, 2008, a voluntary recall of approximately 5,400 John Deere Compact Utility Tractors was initiated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in cooperation with Deere and Co. (NYSE: DE). The problem with the tractors is described as a forward drive pedal that can get stuck, creating a potential for loss of control and injury to people.

The recalled tractor's model number is 3203, and you may check the CPSC press release for specific serial numbers. It is suggested that consumers discontinue using these particular tractors and contact a John Deere dealer to schedule a free repair. You may reach Deere & Company at (800) 537-8233 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. ET Saturday. You are also invited to visit the company website at: www.johndeere.com.

Toyota Motor Co. (NYSE: TM) has issued a safety recall involving 264,000 of its luxury cars over faulty fuel pipes. Included in the recall are 49,000 Lexus vehicles sold overseas.

The recall is a result of faulty fuel pipes that pose the threat of cracks and corrosion which could result in fuel leakage. So far there have been no reports of any injuries related to this problem, but there have been 39 cases of troubles in Japan from the defect.

It has been a tough week for Toyota. On Tuesday the company entered into a civil trial that claims the company produced and sold thousands of Corollas equipped with unsafe seatbelts. In this civil case, 19 year old Gurinder Singh claims that his 60 year old father would still be alive if not for a faulty seatbelt in his Toyota Corolla.

Unfortunately for parents out there preparing for the upcoming holiday season, this past year's toy recalls have to be a constant reason for concern, and today we get news of another recall. By now we are pretty adjusted to reading news of recalls due to high levels of lead paint, but today's recall involves something a little more alarming ... a date rape drug!

Yes, you read that right, it has been announced that millions of toy products in North America and Australia have been taken off the shelves after it was discovered that they contained chemicals that, when digested, convert into the date rape drug gamma hydroxy butyrate (street name of GHB). The toys in question are toy beads that go by the name Aqua Dots, and are considered a highly popular holiday item, which is distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master Toys. For Australian consumers, the toy sells under the name of Bindeez.

Just how popular is this toy line? This year in Australia it was named toy of the year. Just how dangerous is the ingestion of the drug? If swallowed, one of these beads can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.

Is it time to start selling your Mattel, Inc., (NYSE: MAT) stock? In Yet Another incidence of Fisher Price toys being tainted (figuratively and literally) with lead, Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) has pulled the Fisher Price Medical Kit from its web site after a Consumer Reports article that questioned the lead content in the kit's toy blood pressure cuff. Mattel has insisted that children can play doctor safely because the toy "meets the requirements set forth in the federal regulations and international consumer product safety standards, including the existing standards for lead content." Note Mattel did not claim that the toy was free from lead.

As I've mentioned before, these toy recalls have lead (har!) me to the conclusion that it's just not worth buying plastic toys for my children any more. I've been flipping through the Nova Natural catalog to plan for holiday buying and regularly carting off boxes of my boys' plastic toys to Goodwill.

Judging by the excitement over leaked Black Friday ads, it seems as if I'm a rarity. This news does bring out a couple of questions, however:

• Will we soon start seeing vigilante recalls like this one from Amazon.com as retailers work to minimize their risk in toy recalls?
• Does it cost enough to effect a recall that it might make sense to anger a major supplier like Mattel?
• Isn't this recall just a little bit too ironic? My blood pressure is rising, too!

Answers would be appreciated; though of course my biggest question will remain unanswered for some time, ergo, how long will consumers continue to put up with unsafe products?

Mattel Inc. (NYSE: MAT) shares are trading higher today after a Barron's analyst forecast on Sunday that as the recent toy recall crisis subsides and investors gain confidence, Mattel stock should make considerable gains. The analyst predicted that Mattel stock could rebound as much as 50%. If you think that the company won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on MAT.

After hitting a one-year high of $29.71 in April, the stock hit a one-year low of 20.27 on Friday. MAT opened this morning at $21.31. So far today the stock has hit a low of $21.05 and a high of $22.07. As of 10:40, MAT is trading at $21.61, up $1.11 (5.4%). The chart for MAT looks neutral and steady, while S&P gives the stock a 5 STARS (out of 5) strong buy rating.

Target (NYSE: TGT) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have announced a recall of the popular Cars movie-themed backpacks which contain magnets that could become dislodged. Any small pieces that can easily be taken off any consumer product are a choking hazard to small children.

Again and again, Chinese manufacturers and U.S. vendors can't seem to design products made for children that won't end up with parts that can come off and be swallowed by kids. We're cracking into the human genome in another field, but hey, forget backpack design, right? My goodness, must be a toughie.

110,000 Chinese-made Cars backpacks are being recalled after magnets fell out of a piece of the plastic enclosure attached to the backpacks in three separate instances, although no subsequent injuries were reported. The backpacks in question were sold at Target stores nationwide from February through September of this year for $13 each.

So, this may not be a lead-paint recall issue from Chinese-sourced products, but that does not diminish the fact that it's still just as important. With China now making 80% of the world's toys, the parade of recalls is sure to continue. Stay tuned to BloggingStocks for more coverage of product recalls from the retail industry as they happen, because they will.

We have another toy recall on our hands today. This one involves one of our most beloved icons, Winnie the Pooh.

Today's recall involves around 90,000 items, 70,400 of which were imported by J.C. Penney Company (NYSE: JCP) and feature the beloved Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) character Winnie the Pooh. The culprit is, once again, excessive levels of lead paints. The actual products J.C. Penney was forced to recall were Winnie the Pooh playsets and decorative ornaments with a horse-theme, as well as art kits made in Taiwan and Vietnam.

The good news is that many retailers like J.C. Penney are doing their best to try to keep these toxic toys from landing in the hands of children. Earlier this summer, the company decided to hire an independent laboratory to run tests on all of its painted toys. These independent evaluations, which started in August, are credited with catching today's recalled toys.

During the recent recalls of Chinese toys due to high lead content, toymaker RC2 (NASDAQ: RCRC) has been forced to recall close to 2 million products from its Thomas & Friends product line. In an effort to make up for the mistakes, the toy maker decided to give a little something back to to consumers involved in the recalls, and you guessed it... the gifts were more products with excessive lead paints!

It blows my mind that the company has actually allowed this to happen yet again. The most recent of the company's product recalls took place last week and involved around 200,000 toys, and earlier this summer the toy maker was hit was a massive 1.5 million toy recall, so it makes sense that they would try to give something back to consumers. Unfortunately the gesture of good faith has blown up in their face.

We were alerted to this unfortunate event by The Consumerist where you can also find the official statement from the company regarding this most recent consumer slap in the face:

Unfortunately, the discovery that certain Toad vehicles could be potentially unsafe was made in August, after Toads had been sent as bonus gifts to some families. Many of the Toad bonus gifts are safe, however some may not be. If you received a Toad vehicle as a bonus gift from us, please check its underside for the tracking code 1656OW00 to determine if it is one of the recalled toys.

Given my possession of an extremely sweet two-month-old baby, my third little boy, I am one of the most profoundly sleep-deprived people on the planet. I should not be driving heavy machinery (and I don't); I should not be operating dangerous equipment. And, given the news about the recall of 1 million Simplicity and Graco cribs today, it's clear I should also cross "putting together baby gear" from my list. (Graco is a unit of Newell Rubbermaid Inc (NYSE: NWL), whose stock is up 9 cents to $28.79 after an initial morning dip on the news.)

I can't say I was surprised, a few days ago, when I saw Monroe's little bouncy seat had come detached from its frame, causing him to slide harmlessly a few inches onto the floor. But Simplicity Inc., the manufacturer of all the cribs under recall, shouldn't have been surprised, either, that parents put the drop-rail side of the crib on upside down. Let's review: parents are sleep-deprived. Parents are not necessarily mechanically-inclined to begin with! It is horribly unfair to expect parents, in their largely mentally-imbalanced state, to have to do everything right in order to keep their babies alive.

Now two sets of parents have to live with the guilt that they put their baby's cribs together incorrectly, which allowed their infants to become trapped in a gap and suffocate. Recalls? I only wish we could do take-backs, do-overs, when it came to the life of a baby.

The headaches for Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT) just keep on adding up, as the company's toys from this summer's recall have now been found to contain 180 times the amount of lead allowed by law. In addition, some jewelry sold by Oriental Trading Co. was found to have an ingredient mix that was 100% lead. That's positively alarming. 180 times the legal limit? Did Mattel's Chinese toy contractors dip all the toys in pure lead or something?

For China, this is not good news, although the brunt of the negativity will be taken in by Mattel. After so many product and food recalls from China in the last year, it's hard to imagine that exports from that country won't be under the heaviest scrutiny by a congressional subcommittee. If you're a parent and your confidence in the quality of those Barbie toys (and others) has not been shattered by all this, I'd love to hear your comments below.

Honda Motor Co. (NYSE: HMC), the Japanese car brand known (with Toyota) for its reliable and dependable vehicles, has announced a recall. The company is recalling 182,756 Civic sedans in order to repair an o-ring on each of the sedan's wheel bearings which could be prone to leak. If that happens, the wheel could fall off.

That's not exactly a door latch problem, and reminds me of the Ford / Firestone recall years ago, although I am not sure this one is as severe. But, when terms like "wheel falling off" are bandied about, Civic owners may exercise the right to feel slightly nervous.

The Civic is a staple of the Honda lineup, and is the second-best seller in the U.S. for the automaker behind the larger Accord. The recall affects 2006 and 2007 Honda Civic sedans, all trim lines. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported on its website this morning that the o-rings in question may not seal properly, which could allow the introduction of water into the wheel bearing. In some cases, the wheel could unseat from the bearing and fall off completely.

Of course, Honda will be replacing these damaged parts for free after mailing letters to each affected owner. So far, no injuries or deaths have been reported due to this defective o-ring problem.

After Mattel (NYSE: MAT) announced its first huge lead-based paint recall spanning dozens of my children's favorite toys, from Diego to Elmo (how could you?), my initial response was something along the lines of: no more Chinese toys, ever! After the second recall, largely focused on Polly Pocket dolls (I have boys but still, Polly Pocket is hard to resist) and choking hazards, I went even further and darkly considered removing the plastics from my family's consumption altogether -- more than one friend made that decision, too, putting plastic toys and Tupperware in garbage bags and divesting entirely.

Late last night, Mattel announced yet another recall, this one not quite so big as the others and focused largely on small parts of Barbie accessories -- the dog from the Barbie Dream Puppy House; the cat from the Barbie Dream Kitty Condo; the dog and dinner plates from the table and chairs kitchen playset -- as well as a few toddler toys, two GeoTrax trains and the lid from a bongo drum in a Big, Big World playset. And I? Had almost no reaction. I didn't frantically root through my children's toy boxes, searching for toxic toys. I didn't email all my friends, using a subject line with several exclamation points. I didn't call my pediatrician's office to schedule a blood lead test (ok, so I've already done that). Mattel, I've decided, isn't the bad guy here; nor am I quite as angry at China (even though I'll admit to a greatly heightened blood pressure when I heard that a Chinese government official objected to lead limits in children's jewelry).

The thing is, while I've decided to severely limit my consumption of plastic children's toys, this isn't about them anymore.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is not resting on the recent bad news that millions of defective toys from Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT) and Fisher Price were sold in its stores. As such, the world's largest retailer has now said that it will re-examine safety reviews from designers and manufacturers of the toys, as well as increase the independent testing it performs on the toys.

This is a good move for Wal-Mart, and if any retailer does not follow suit and create some kind of program to put toys it carries through rigorous testing as well, then it probably does not deserve your business. It's true that toy makers should have already eliminated problems with toys that led to recalls, but retailers are the last bastion before those products reach consumers. Think about it this way: are you a Wal-Mart customer or Mattel customer? My guess is that you answered Wal-Mart, and that fact makes the retailer in need of a review process for toy items it stocks on its shelves.