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Toyota Motor Corp. stated on August 26, 2009, it was recalling 95,700 Toyota and Scion-brand vehicles in the United States because of a possible brake malfunction. The recall affects some 2009 and 2010 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles and some 2008 and 2009 Scion xD vehicles, Toyota said.

For those vehicles equipped with 1.8-liter engines, condensed moisture may seep into the brake system and freeze in low temperatures, potentially causing ice accumulation and weakening the power-assist to the brakes. Those affected by the recall will be asked to return the vehicle to a dealer, where a new intake air connector will be installed. Customers will not be charged for the hour-long procedure, Toyota said.

Toyota said vehicle owners from 19 states will receive recall notices in early September. They are: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Often manufacturing defects are the main culprit of ATV accidents. More and more, you hear in the news about another ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) accident that often causes a fatality.

For example, in rural Nebraska, ATV accidents have become the number one cause of agricultural fatalities. From 2004 through 2007, one-third of agricultural fatalities involved ATVs. The trend prompted the University of Nebraska Extension last year to hold ATV training sessions across the state.

The Consumer Product Safety Safety Commission (CPSC) reported last year that serious injuries because of ATV crashes have increased for eight years in a row to a total of 150,900 in 2007. Since 2001, the number of injuries serious enough to require emergency room treatment has risen by 37 percent. Nationwide, at least 542 ATV fatalities were reported.

The Yamaha Rhino ATV, which has side-by-side seating for the driver and a passenger, has been targeted by lawsuits alleging that it is unstable and prone to rollovers. Yamaha has offered free repairs to improve safety.

Safety experts are particularly concerned about the number of ATV accidents involving children. About one-third of injuries and deaths happen to children age 16 or younger.

Because safety rules are so prevalent in today’s society, some people may not be attuned to the need to evaluate the risks of operating an ATV.

On August 26, 2009, Johnson & Johnson and the FDA announced that the drug maker received a warning about serious skin reactions in patients treated with the company’s HIV drug Intelence.

J&J’s Tibotec Therapeutics unit updated the warning after reports of one death from a skin reaction known as toxic epidermal necrolysis, and another case of liver failure from a severe reaction, said Tibotec spokeswoman Pam Van Houten. The patient with liver failure recovered.

Intelence has included a warning about the risk of severe skin reactions since it was launched in January 2008, Van Houten said. In clinical trials, the rate of serious skin or allergic reactions was less than 0.1 percent, she said.

Intelence should be immediately discontinued if signs of severe skin or allergic reactions, Tibotec said in a letter to doctors.