Ford Recalls Almost 2,000,000 Trucks For Seat Belt Fire Hazard

A major auto manufacturer released a new recall for millions of affected pickup trucks, effective September 6. As a change of pace from the increasingly-predictable airbag recalls that fill automotive news, this recall involves another major Supplemental Restraint System--the seat belts. More accurately, it affects the components that actually make seat belts able to stop...

Worth the Weight? Cybex Recalls Weight-Lifting Equipment For Major Injury Risks

Most gyms may never have dangerously broken machines, and more power to them for keeping their members safe. It only takes one incident, though: For a lone weightlifter with God as his only spotter, it can be a harrowing experience if the machine malfunctions. That's the situation for 15,000 Smith machine-style weight racks that are...

Blender Blunder: Vitamix Recalls Over 100,000 Blender Containers for Possible Laceration Hazard

This isn't the first time we've written about a blender recall, and for all I know it won't be the last. I'm no engineer, but it feels like in 2018 it shouldn't be too complicated to put a cup on a weed-whacker. Despite that we've seen a rash of safety defects announced by various kitchen-device...

Harris County Drunk Driving Chronicle

Texas continues to be infamous for leading the country in drunk driving fatalities. Partly due to its size, but also due to a high rate of drunk driving, Harris County (primarily Houston) contributes more to that dubious distinction than any other jurisdiction in the state. In an ideal world, we would be able to analyze,...

Only In Houston: Two DUI Drivers Hit Disabled Car in Fatal Crashes

I've mentioned before that Houston ranks uncomfortably highly in matters of drunk driving. Not only does it have the most DUI-related deaths of any Texas city, but it consistently ranks in the top 5 cities throughout the entire U.S. Sometimes it seems like Houston actually wants to remind everybody who wears that tarnished crown in...

Kia, Hyundai Recall Over a Million Vehicles for Possible Electronic Airbag Defect

Injury Relief readers may notice a theme that often pops up in our blog: When it comes to automotive defects, the airbag seems to be a recurring culprit. That disturbing trend continues in a recall issued by Kia and Hyundai. According to the company and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Kia Motors (and...

Fiat Chrysler Recalls Millions of Vehicles for Cruise Controls That Might Not Disengage

Fiat Chrysler is once again making headlines with a sizable and serious recall. While previous recalls involved everything from fire hazards to disabled seatbelt pretensioners, ranging in scope and severity, the newest recall apparently involves a software bug that could keep a vehicle's cruise control engaged even when the driver tries to cancel it. That's...