CONSUMER NEWS & ALERTS, Marfch 28, 2005 - Ford tanks that explode

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Consumer News & Alerts | March 28, 2005FLAMING FORD PROBE EXPANDS Safety regulators are at long last looking beyond the 2000 model year in their probe of Ford truck fires. As our readers know, for years Ford truck and SUV owners have been reporting that their vehicles spontaneously caught fire. Despite a recall of 2000-model F-150s and other trucks, to this very day Ford continues to disclaim any knowledge of what's causing the fires and refuses to offer any relief to its customers whose trucks, homes and other vehicles are destroyed. Even those whose vehicles have been recalled get nothing more than a modification of their cruise control. If their truck has already burned to the ground, the recall is of no benefit. Take Randy of Diboll, Texas. He lost not only his 2000 F-150 but three guns and ammunition, other vehicles parked nearby ... and his divorce papers. Most of the property losses are covered by insurance, which makes it hardly worthwhile to sue -- and Ford therefore turns and walks away.All this Ford bashing annoys one of our readers. Pat of Jackson thinks we are "biased towards Ford." (Actually, that would mean we only did good stories about Ford but you get Pat's drift).Ford Stares Down the Cops Police departments around the country have sued Ford for deaths and injuries caused by fuel tanks that explode when the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is hit from behind. Ah, but Ford has the answer to this problem. A reinforced tank? No, Ford has informed some police departments that it will not sell them any more cars until they withdraw from the class action. Illinois police departments caved in and did so last week. Ford is able to get by with strong-arming police departments because it makes the only affordable rear-wheel-drive sedan. We'd like to see a European or Japanese manufacturer bring a police vehicle to the U.S. It might not be a money maker but it would certainly be a neighborly gesture. Europe is crawling with Mercedes-Benz police cars, and the Toyota Avalon looks like it would be a good candidate with a tighter suspension, souped-up engine and a good heavy-duty front seat. GM Draws Bead on Pontiac, Buick Getting rid of Oldsmobile was pretty painless, so now General Motors is thought to be planning a similar fate for Pontiac or Buick. These relics of the 1950s just aren't making it anymore. But don't worry, GM assured analysts as they downgraded it to junk bond status: the company is confident its new full-sized SUVs will be big sellers this fall. With gas prices headed for $3 a gallon, this raises serious issues about what they're smoking in the GM executive suite.On the Sunny Side ... Leave it to AAA to find a bright side to record gas prices. Hey, says the let's-drive-more AAA, the overall cost of owning a car is lower than ever. Yes, and traffic is moving along just fine, too.FCC TO THE RESCUE First it was cell phones. Now it's Internet telephone service (VOIP) that is scaring the local phone companies. Why, if they were allowed to, some consumers would cancel their local phone service and just buy DSL Internet access from the phone company. Then they could use VOIP to place cheap phone calls over the Internet. Just to make certain no such consumer uprising occurs, the Federal Communications Commission has preempted those pesky states and decreed that consumers must have basic telephone service before they can buy DSL. So there.It's a good thing Barry Goldwater's no longer alive. It would kill him to see his old party preempt state law everytime a big corporate donor squeaks.Texas Sues Vonage Cell phones and Internet phone service share a common disadvantage. They don't necessarily work properly with your local 911 network. In response to this, the state of Texas, proud home of SBC, has sued Internet phone provider Vonage, alleging it doesn't make this clear to consumers. GRACO FACES $14 MILLION PENALTY Graco Children’s Products Inc. faces a $4 million fine for failing to inform the government in a timely manner about more than 12 million products that posed a danger to young children nationwide. From 1991 through 2002, Graco failed to report defects in juvenile products that the Consumer Product Safety Commission said could create substantial product hazards or unreasonable risks of injury or death to young children. It's the largest civil penalty in the commission's history. THE TIMES OF YOUR LIFE Whatever your thoughts on the Terri Schiavo case, we think you'll agree that it's worth taking a little time now to avoid falling into a similar trap. Any of us, young or old, fit or sedentary, can become disabled at any time. All it takes is a misstep, a traffic accident or a blood clot that lodges somewhere it doesn't belong. The commonly prescribed solution is a so-called living will. Even better is a durable power of attorney. This lets you assign your spouse, sibling, parent or other trusted individual to make binding legal decisions on your hehalf. Whether to remove life support is far from the only decision that you'd want someone to make if you were comatose. Decisions about your children, your home, your financial affairs become more pressing as time goes by. They can all be handled by your surrogate, the person you name to make decisions on your behalf. Nursing Home Fires Amazingly, many nursing homes have no sprinklers and only the most rudimentary smoke detectors. Medicare is issuing a new rule that would require a battery-powered smoke detector in every room of nursing homes that lack sprinklers. If you have a loved one in a nursing home, don't wait for the rule to take effect. Invest $10 in a smoke alarm and install it next time you visit. This is especially important in light of a new study that finds nursing home patients today are sicker than ever. AMERIDEBT SIGNS OFF AmeriDebt, Inc. will shut down its debt management operation as part of a settlement of Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers into paying at least $170 million in hidden fees. The settlement does not include other defendants in the case, including DebtWorks and key officers of the companies.FLORIDA NABS TLG Trilegiant, also known as TLG, has paid the state of Florida $400,000 in restitution and has agreed to provide compensation to consumers wronged by the company's tactics in marketing various club memberships. TLG is a spin-off of Cendant, a huge direct-marketing/membership venture that does business under an alphabet soup mixture of names, including AOL AutoVantage, Shoppers Advantage and Travelers Advantage. Many of its customers consider themselves more captive than client.Other scams and outrages ...• North Fork Forks Over Long Island's North Fork Bank charged illegal fees when consumers paid off their mortgages, Connecticut charged..• Pennsylvania Sues Florida Travel Promoter Promoters allegedly ignored state's Do Not Call law.• Travel Promoter Gets Sent Away Ten-year prison sentence for Connecticut scam artist who swindled $144,000 from 114 people who signed up for European vacations.• California Sues American Funds Kickbacks paid to broker-dealers, state charges.• Illinois Charges Gas Company Peoples Energy accused of running a fraudulent scheme to bilk natural gas customers out of well over $100 million.• States Settle Suit Against Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Sandoz and Abbott conspired to delay availability of a generic version of Hytrin, a brand name drug prescribed for hypertension and enlarged prostate. • Kentucky Slams Book On Yellow Pages Scam California firm allegedly entraps small businesses into paying for ads they did not mean to order.FTC PART OF THE PROBLEM? The Federal Trade Commission is too closely aligned with business interests in its probe of ChoicePoint and other data aggregators and, in fact, may be to blame for the growing incidence of identity theft, a consumer group charges. The Electronic Privacy Information Center wants the feds to take a more consumer-friendly position in regulating the marketing of personal data.RECALLS & SAFETY ALERTS • Children’s Reebok Jacket and Pant Sets The zipper slider and pull can come loose and pose a choking hazard.• Arctic Cat ATVs The fuel tank can leak.• Graco Toddler Beds The toddler's head can become trapped, posing a strangulation hazard.• KitchenAid ProLine Toasters They can spontaneously start toasting, posing a fire hazard.• Bratz Stylin’ Scooter The wheels can break.• GM Recalls Commercial Trucks Faulty wiring can set off the airbags.• RCA Portable DVD Player The battery can overheat and explode.• Mazarakis RugsThey're flammable.HYUNDAI THROWS IN XM The Korean automaker is making XM satellite receivers standard equipment in some models next year and throwing in the first three months of programming. After that, you'll have to shell out $12.95 each month -- but you won't be able to listen to Howard Stern, who's moving to rival Sirius. ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER Consumer News & Alerts is published by ConsumerAffairs.Com Inc., which is solely responsible for its content. You are on the list either because you asked to be or because you filed a consumer report at our site. See removal instructions below. The editor is James R. Hood. You can reach him through our Contact Form. This is a private form exclusively for readers of our newsletter. The information provided in this newsletter and on our Web site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace or substitute for sound legal advice from a qualified attorney. The newsletter and Web site may be considered advertising under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and other states and localities. You should not make legal hiring decisions based upon promotional materials. 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