Recalls often miss targets

Even though Kelli Higgs is diligent about filling out and sending in product registration cards, she was surprised to learn that the Brother laser printer she bought in 2000 was recalled in 2002.

She said the manufacturer never sent her a recall notice in the mail. Higgs, of White Plains, N.Y., found out about the problem – which could have caused a fire – because an alert technician noticed the model number when she took the machine in for a cleaning in February.

“But for me bringing it in to be serviced, I wouldn’t have known that it was recalled,” Higgs said.

Tod Marks, a senior editor at Consumer Reports, said Higgs’ experience isn’t unique.

Despite more than 5,000 government product recall announcements covering 60 million products last year, many consumers still have recalled goods that may be dangerous, unhealthy or defective.

A report in the August issue of Consumer Reports said that nearly one-third of recalled vehicles, more than half of recalled appliances and three-quarters of recalled child car seats are still in use.

“It’s a pretty decent bet that you are going to come across a recalled product in your home at one point or another,” Marks said. “The trouble is, even though you own a recalled product, you may never know about it.”

There’s no simple answer for why the recall system isn’t working, said Marks, who writes the magazine’s recalls column and led Consumer Reports’ months-long investigation.

Though there are six different government agencies charged with policing product safety and handing out hefty fines for manufacturers and retailers who don’t disclose injuries from unsafe products, getting information to consumers is hit or miss.

The Bridgestone/Firestone tire recall of 2000, which came after more than 60 deaths, received massive media attention, but most recalls only appear briefly on the evening news or in the newspaper.

“If you happen to be taking a nap at dinner time that day or you’re leading a normal life, you may have missed it,” Marks said.

Product registration cards can help companies track down consumers, but the response rate is “woefully low,” Marks said. “In some instances, it’s in the single digits.”

Consumer advocates argue that people don’t send the cards to manufacturers because they are annoyed by nosy marketing questions about their income and favorite vacation spots.