New safety certification for hoverboards

New safety standards could mean a resurgence of the hoverboard fad that burned out when some of the products burst into flames.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has received at least 52 hoverboard fire reports in recent months.

A hoverboard exploded in a Miamisburg home in February catching flooring and carpeting on fire.

“There really was a global crisis with hoverboard products. It was really based on the lithium ion battery packs inside the products. If they aren’t designed adequately they can cause those kinds of problems,” said Ken Boyce, principal engineer manager with the independent safety testing company UL.

Boyce said his company went to work to discover the problem with the batteries, researching the entire electrical system of hoverboards. It came up with a comprehensive set of requirements and tests to prove they are safe.

Those that pass will have a new UL sticker — UL 2272.

If you purchased a hoverboard prior to the new standards, experts say it’s important to take precautions: Let the hoverboard cool down before you charge it, don’t leave plugged in overnight, and never leave it unattended when it is charging.

Several companies and brands have products that meet the new standards including Razor’s Hovertrax, which will be available in July.

Recall delays

Keeping up with recalls isn't easy. Some are announced quickly and clearly, but many more roll out slowly with new products added every day or every week.

Others seem to come out too late — if you bought the recalled food you probably have already eaten it.

And that’s not even getting into the confusing lot numbers, specific dates and sizes of recalled products.

The list of expanded recalls includes sunflower seeds, frozen food, peanut butter and much more, and some are questioning why it's taking so long to get potentially dangerous products off store shelves and out of our homes.

The FDA failed to force a recall of peanut and almond products for three months after testing showed salmonella, government investigators found.

Despite new DNA technology and new legal measures to force recalls, they are dragging on too long and not being announced quickly enough, leaving consumers at risk.

The FDA says the peanut butter case was an anomolly, but it will now review slow-moving cases on a weekly basis.

Cosigner blues

If you are considering co-signing on a loan for your brother, lover, or best friend, a new survey may cause you to think twice.

Nearly 40 percent of co-signers say they had to pay some or all of the bill. Nearly 30 percent watched their credit score drop due to late payments, and more than a quarter had relationship problems with the person they co-signed for on the loan, according to a CreditCards.com survey.

The website recommends avoiding co-signing on a loan or a credit card if you aren’t financially stable or if the primary borrower is a “financial train wreck.”

Rachel Murray is a WHIO-TV consumer reporter. You can watch her reports on News Center 7, follow her on Twitter @RMurrayWHIO, and like her fan page on Facebook.

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