Tylenol, Pinto and other recalls

NEW YORK Recalls related to Takata airbags, which have already led to the largest auto recall in U.S. history, keep growing. Takata joins a list of notorious product recalls, some of which were handled better than others by the corporations involved. Here’s a look at some other headline-grabbing recalls:

FORD PINTO

Ford recalled more than 1.5 million Pintos in 1978 due to the faulty position of fuel tanks. In some cases, the fuel tank burst into flames after a rear-end collisions. At least 27 people died as a result.

TYLENOL

About 35 years ago, Johnson & Johnson recalled more than 20 million bottles of Tylenol capsules after someone laced the painkillers with cyanide and put them in store shelves in the Chicago area. Seven people were killed. Johnson & Johnson repackaged Tylenol with tamper-resistant packaging, showing how a company could emerge from a disaster and improve an industry.

FIRESTONE TIRES

About 6.5 million Firestone tires were recalled in 2000 because the tires could shred, blow out or fail. Most of the tires were used in Ford SUVs and light pickup trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in 2001 that it received 271 reports of deaths and 800 injuries related to the faulty tires.

KEURIG COFFEE MACHINE

Keurig recalled more than 7 million of its single-serve coffee brewing machines after reports that some of them spewed hot liquids and injured people.