1. Death and injuries forcerecall: In May, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Toys “R” Us Inc.recalled some 21,000 inflatable Banzai water slides for in-groundpools after one woman died from a fractured neck and two peoplereported neck fractures, including a man who was paralyzed. Allthree injuries resulted from victims hitting their heads on a hardsurface at the bottom of the slide because it had partiallydeflated.

2. Ford lawsuit on productliability: In March the Ford Motor Co. was sued forallegedly selling trucks for 10 years that it knew had defectivefuel-tank linings while concealing this issue from consumers.

3. Salmonella lawsuit: InApril, two women from Wisconsin filed suit against Moon MarineU.S.A. Corp. for sushi they say was tainted with salmonella from“Nakaochi Scrape,” frozen backmeat that is shaved from fish bones,which ended up in about 60,000 pounds of ground yellowfin tuna.

4. Dog food lawsuit: In June,several consumers filed a class-action product-liability lawsuitagainst Diamond Pet Foods Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp. over dogfood allegedly contaminated with salmonella, which caused both dogsand dog owners to become sick.

5. Toddler toy recall: In May,Toys “R” Us recalled some 24,000 units of the Imaginarium 5-SidedActivity Center, sold exclusively though the chain, due to apossible choking hazard related to removable wooden knobs on thetoy’s xylophone keys. Units sold for about $25.

6. Blender recall: In May,Select Brands Inc. recalled some 4,069 units of its KitchenSelectives 6-Speed Blenders, model BL-15 for a possible lacerationhazard; no injuries had been reported.

7. Impact hazard: In Decemberof 2011, Pottery Barn Kids, a division of Williams-Sonoma Inc. ofSan Francisco, recalled some 7,700 children’s canopy beds in theUnited States and Canada due to 33 reported injuries fromcollapsing canopies.

8. Choking hazard: InDecember, Build-A-Bear Workshops Inc. recalled some 284,000Colorful Hearts Teddy Bears after discovering the bear’s plasticeyes could come loose, posing a choking hazard for youngchildren.

9. Lead paint hazard: InDecember, Target Corp. recalled some 139,000 Circo 17-inchChildren’s Travel Cases after discovering the surface coating onthe cases contained excessive levels of lead.