Zenith recalls large-screen projection television sets

Until now, the only hazard we might have associated with our television would be watching too many shows about police, lawyers or people who go to the jungle and eat bugs to win prizes.

But now Zenith Electronics is recalling 80,000 large-screen analog projection televisions. A torn gasket can allow coolant fluid to leak from the picture tube assembly and cause smoking, charring and electrical arcing inside the TV, posing a fire hazard. This is an expansion of a 1998 recall involving 111,000 projection television sets.

Since the earlier recall, Zenith has received 45 reports of coolant leakage, including four cases where minor property damage occurred outside the unit. No injuries have been reported.

The recalled televisions have 46-inch to 60-inch screens and were manufactured in Mexico from April 1995 to July 1997, and from August 1998 to November 1998. The date of manufacture appears on a white label on the back of the set. Televisions manufactured after 1998 are not included in the recall.

Major appliance and department stores nationwide sold the TVs from about April 1995 through April 1999 for $1,200 to $2,800.

If you have one of these TVs, contact Zenith immediately at (800) 777-5195 anytime to arrange for a free inspection and repair. The recall is intended for consumers who did not participate in the 1998 program.

The beanbag chairs kids sit in while watching TV also can be hazardous. Baseline Design of Linwood, Pa., is recalling 30,000 beanbag chairs manufactured in 1999. Some of the chairs have zippers that can be opened, allowing access to the polystyrene beads inside the chairs. This poses a suffocation hazard to young children, who can unzip the chair and inhale the small beads.

Of three reported incidents where children were able to open the zippers and handle the polystyrene beads, one involved a child who required medical attention after inhaling beads.

The recalled chairs have 12-inch double zippers and various designs, including a smiley face, a football shape, a baseball shape, a basketball shape, and solid green, yellow, pink and blue neon colors. The beanbags have a tag reading “Made by Baseline Design.”

New England Wal-Mart stores sold the chairs from September 1999 through December 1999 for about $30.

If you own a Baseline Design beanbag chair, see if you can unzip it easily. Baseline Design will provide owners with a free replacement with zippers that do not open. Be sure young children do not use beanbag chairs if the zipper can be opened freely and never let children be exposed to the beads inside the chair.

For information and instructions, call Baseline Design at (800) 497-3626, Ext. 3046, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.foamex.com.

In another recall, Hufco-Delaware Co. and Evenflo Co. Inc. are recalling 364,000 portable wooden cribs.

If the hardware used to assemble the crib is not tight, the mattress support platform and mattress can fall to the floor, posing risk of injury to young children.

The cribs are made of wood and smaller than traditional cribs. Most were sold under the Gerry or Evenflo brand names. The model number is located on a label on the platform under the mattress. Department and baby products stores sold the cribs from January 1991 to December 2002 for about $99.

If you think you have a recalled crib, stop using it and call (800) 582-9359, with your model number handy, for a free upgrade kit that gives additional support to the mattress platform, or visit www.evenflo.com for model number information.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast COMBAT/The Maine Center for the Public Interest, Maine’s membership-funded nonprofit consumer organization. For help or to request individual or business membership information write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, PO Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.