Many young children love to imitate the actions of their parents and other adults. One of the favorites is pretending to drive a car. In response to this, toymakers have created smaller, child size versions of the mode of transportation which are available for purchase throughout the nation, including Pittsburgh. One retailer of these kid cars is Fingerhut, via catalogue or online.

As is the case with real cars, these toy vehicles also suffer from defects that can make them dangerous. A recent recall of ride-on toy cars manufactured by Bluestem Brands illustrates this. As was the case in our last post that was in the context of a real car, the recall of the toy cars is due to the possibility that the product can catch on fire. The fire in this case could occur by the battery overheating. Even if the vehicle doesn't catch on fire, the heat resulting from the battery should it malfunction can result in serious burns to those who come into contact with the car.

In total, 4,700 of the cars, sold under the name Range Rider are included in the recall. Thus far, there have been nine reported incidents involving the battery overheating. Fortunately, no injuries to either children or adults have occurred.

Unlike in our last post, a free repair is not being offered to deal with these defective products. Instead, the purchase price and shipping and handling costs are being refunded to those who bought the toy. Owners of the cars for children are being instructed to remove the defective battery from the vehicle and no longer let the children play with it.

Source: WYTV, "Toy cars recalled," Sept.12, 2012

• Our firm handles similar situations to the one discussed in this post. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our Pittsburgh dangerous products page.