Apple issues recall for older 15-inch MacBook Pros for battery problems

If you bought a 2015 MacBook Pro between September 2015 and February 2017, you might want to check if your unit is affected by the latest Apple recall. The company issued the recall because its batteries “may pose a fire safety risk.” Apple says a “limited number” of units are affected but if you want to make sure, you can input the serial number of your unit here. If your unit is affected, you’re eligible for a free battery replacement. But you would need to have a backup laptop or PC ready. Apple might take one to two weeks to repair your unit. The company, however, won’t extend your warranty. The recall doesn’t affect any other MacBook unit sold during the same period.

Tesla issues largest voluntary recall with the Model S for power steering issues

Tesla is taking a proactive stance and recalling 123,000 Model S vehicles built before April 2016 over a power steering issue. The automaker emailed customers saying none of the other models are affected by this issue and there are no injuries or crashes reported in connection with this issue. In the email, Tesla said they’ve “observed excessive corrosion in the power steering bolts” and the issue seems more prevalent in colder climates where road salt is used.

“If the bolts fail, the driver is still able to steer the car, but increased force is required due to loss or reduction of power assist,” Tesla wrote in the email to customers. “This primarily makes the car harder to drive at low speeds and for parallel parking, but does not materially affect control at high speed, where only small steering wheel force is needed.” But Tesla assures Model S owners that they don’t have to stop driving their cars if they haven’t experienced issues. And they would let Model S owners know when a retrofit for their car is available in their area. It’ll take around an hour to install. It is the company's biggest recall, affecting around half of the Model S vehicles built to date. In 2015, Tesla needed to recall 90,000 Model S cars for a seat belt issue, and in the following year, 53,000 Model S and X cars had to have their parking brakes replaced.

Source: The Verge

Amazon is recalling 260,000 AmazonBasics power banks due to ‘fire and burn hazards’

If you purchased an AmazonBasics power bank recently, you should expect to get an email from Amazon notifying you that the product is being recalled due to overheating reports. According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, “the power bank’s battery can overheat and ignite, posing fire and burn hazards.” Amazon has reportedly gotten 53 reports of these incidents happening so far and it’s asking users to stop using the product. The power banks affected have the model numbers B00ZQ4JQAA, B00LRK8JDC, B00LRK8IV0, B00LRK8I7O, B00LRK8EVO, and B00LRK8HJ8 and come with 16,100mAh, 10,000mAh, 5,600mAh, 3,000mAh, 3,000mAh (with microUSB cable), and 2,000mAh (with micro USB cable) battery capacities.

The company is asking consumers to confirm through the link in an email that they still have the product and that they follow disposal instructions. A gift card will be issued within 10 working days for those confirmed to have the unit. If you bought one of the units and you still haven’t been contacted by Amazon, you can get in touch with the retailer online through this link or call Amazon toll-free at 855-215-5134 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday.

Source: Android Authority

1.25 million RAM pickups recalled by Fiat Chrysler for fatal software glitch

Fiat Chrysler is recalling 1.25 of its RAM pickups for what could be a fatal software glitch which could cause seatbelts and airbags to fail during a collision.

More than 1.25 million Ram pickup trucks are being recalled worldwide due to a software glitch that can cause some of the vehicles' airbags and seatbelts to fail during rollover. The problem, linked to one death and two injuries according to Fiat Chrysler, covers three different light and medium-duty versions of the full-size Ram pickup sold in North America, as well as other parts of the world between the 2013 through 2016 model-years, FCA said. 

That includes 1.02 million 2013-16 Ram 1500 and 2500 pickups, and 2014-2016 Ram 3500 trucks sold in the United States, along with 216,007 pickups shipped to Canada; 21,668 to Mexico; and another 21,530 sold outside North America.

Source: NBC News