News in Brief October 12 – RJ Reynolds, Samsung, Lincoln and More

R.J. Reynolds Dodges Suit Over E-Cigarette False Advertising

R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. will not have to face a class action lawsuit over its alleged failure to warn consumers that certain electronic cigarette devices contain carcinogens. Filed under California’s Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, the suit alleged R.J. Reynolds misled consumers and violated state competition laws with its deceptive marketing of e-cigarettes. According to court records, the suit was thrown out because the plaintiff failed to give the company at least 60 days’ notice of alleged violations before filing a lawsuit, as required by Proposition 65.

Samsung Leaves Galaxy Note 7 Behind

Samsung announced this week it has stopped production of its troubled Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, only a day after it was discovered that replacement phones suffer from the same spontaneous combustion defect that’s seriously injured consumers and the company’s market share and reputation. Two weeks after the phone’s release in August 2016, Samsung recalled 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7s after reports surfaced that a battery defect caused numerous phones to catch fire. The company has asked consumers with an original or replacement Galaxy Note 7 to power down the phone and cease using the device.

St. Jude Medical Says Batteries in Cardiac Devices Can Fail Prematurely

St. Jude Medical Inc. put out an advisory this week warning that the batteries in some of the company’s implantable heart devices can short circuit and fail much earlier than expected. Although the company said the issue is uncommon, it has so far been linked to two patient deaths. St. Jude Medical said nearly 399,000 implantable cardioverter defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators made before May 23, 2015 and sold around the world may be affected by the defect. According to reports, an issue with lithium deposits that can form within the batteries could cause short circuiting, which could lead to sudden battery failure within 24 hours of a patient receiving a vibrating alert from the device. Patients implanted with these devices are being urged to reach out to their physicians immediately.

Headlight Assembly Problem Responsible for 2017 Lincoln Recall

Ford is recalling nearly 2,000 2017 model year Lincoln Continental cars due to defective headlight assemblies that reports say do not meet federal turn signal regulations. According to Ford’s announcement this week, certain LED headlights may be missing the “necessary lens optics” required by federal regulators. This is the latest in a string of Ford and Lincoln recalls that cover, among other issues, anti-lock brake system software problems and defective side door latches.

Nissan Parks Three Class Actions, Will Fix Transmission Problems

Nissan has agreed to fix faulty transmissions responsible for a vibration problem in almost 200,000 Pathfinder and Inifiniti QX60 vehicles. In a deal that ends three proposed class action lawsuits, Nissan will give owners and lessees of 2013 and 2014 model year Pathfinders and Infiniti JX35 and QX60 vehicles a free two-year 24,000-mile extended warranty to cover transmission repair costs. According to reports, individuals who have had two or more fixes done to their transmission could also be eligible for a discount on future Nissan or Infiniti vehicle purchases.