Guess it must be the floor mats again. [SF Gate]

The recall affects 2378 Australian Prius owners. From all accounts the recall is a response to concerns over the car’s ABS performance – apparently it doesn’t feel like the brake is working effectively in some braking conditions. Toyota are still quick to point out that there have been no accidents in Australia as a result of the issue.

In any case, this is a huge PR disaster for the motoring company, especially here in Australia. Just a day after announcing its exciting new Aussie made Hybrid Camry, they’re in damage control rather than celebrating. The issue doesn’t affect any other Toyota vehicles though, including the new Hybrid Camry, which must be a small relief.

Here’s the official announcement:

TOYOTA ANNOUNCES RECALL ON CURRENT GENERATION PRIUS VEHICLES

Toyota Motor Corporation Japan and Toyota Motor Corporation Australia have initiated a safety recall campaign on its current generation Prius vehicles. Current generation Prius commenced being sold in Australia in July 2009.

A total of 2378 Toyota Prius vehicles in Australia are affected. Globally a total of about 400,000 vehicles are involved in the recall – in Japan, the United States, Europe and in other regions.

The recall is being taken in response to reports of inconsistent brake feel during slow and steady braking on certain road conditions such as a pot hole, bumpy or slippery road surfaces when the ABS is activated. The brake pedal feel may not be consistent, but the brakes will continue to operate. There have been a total of 111 cases reported globally, two in Australia.

The recall entails a change to the ABS management program of the vehicle’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in order to improve response time. The procedure will take approximately one hour using standard test equipment in use at all authorised Toyota dealers.

There have been no accidents linked to this issue reported in Australia. No other Toyota or Lexus models in Australia are affected by this recall.

This issue is not related to the recent accelerator pedal recall in North America, Europe and China. Vehicles sold or built in Australia are not affected by that recall.

The locally made Hybrid Camry launched this week in Australia is not affected, and will be available to customers later this month on schedule.

Owners of vehicles affected by this action in Australia will receive a campaign notification by mail this week advising them to contact their local Toyota Authorised Dealer to arrange for repairs to be made. The repairs will be at NO COST to the vehicle owner.

This problem, unrelated to the sticky gas pedal issue that other drivers complained about. But I’m still wondering what exactly is bothering our Prius-loving friend Woz, who claims he has a faulty cruise control issue that is software related, not mechanical.

Remember that old joke about if cars were as crash prone as computers? Yeah, not funny in 2010. [CNN]

Apparently three incidents of short circuiting have been reported, causing the laptop’s plastic cases to melt.

For more information, check out the CPSC website or contact Acer. [CPSC via SlashDot via Engadget]

The recall, which covers virtually every roman shade and roller blind in the country, was prompted after a series of tragic strangulations – about eight over the last 10 years, along with over a dozen injuries – were blamed on the blinds, which the children can become entangled in. In case you’re like most other human beings and don’t know the technical name for the thing that hanging in front of your windows, here’s what roman and roller shades look like:

On both types, it’s the hanging drawstring that’s most dangerous to tots. On the Roman shades, the strings running down the length of the fabric can be safety hazards too.

It’s a recall prompted by some no-doubt horrible stories, and I’m sure the Consumer Product Safety Commission wouldn’t have negotiated a recall this massive unless there was a real risk here, but in a video breaking down the various dangers of these blinds with the chair of the CPSC, ABC uncovered the real problem here:

Any loop is the enemy of children.

Recall all loops! That is the only solution. [ABC]

Apparently, four reports of adaptors short circuiting has alerted Sony to a weakness in the insulation, which could pose a shock hazard. So far, no one has been injured, but if you happen to have one of these adaptors, you can contact Sony for a replacement. [CPSC]

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the product and return it to the nearest Wal-Mart for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Wal-Mart Stores at (800) 925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.walmartstores.com

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

[CPSC via CNN Money via Engadget]

About 215 of Acer’s ASG7200 and ASG7700 units were just recalled by the consumer product safety commission because their internal wiring could get “bent or stripped”, causing them to overheat and create a “burn hazard.”

Acer themselves reported two instances of this happening, which caused its components and case to melt. MELT. If this is you, hit up the CPSC site to get details on how you can get your unit repaired/exchanged for one that doesn’t potentially destroy all your belongings. (AU: Probably don’t need to panic – I doubt there are any of these in Australis, ut thought I’d post just in case) [CSPC via Engadget]

Here’s the text message AT&T is sending out to people who own Quickfires to make sure they don’t plug it all wrong and blow up their phone (though no explosions have happened quite yet).

Please take special care when charging your Quickfire GTX75 mobile phone. There have been a few reports of significant overheating of the phone when the AC Charger adaptor is inserted incorrectly and forced into the phone.

The clearly marked, embossed arrow on the AC Charger adaptor should always be face-up on the same side as the display screen of the Quickfire when it is inserted into the phone. See the diagram below for proper positioning and insertion of the AC Charger adaptor into the phone. You should never force the AC Charger adaptor into the phone.

If you have any questions, please call 1-800-801-1101.

Sincerely,

AT&T