A parent concerned about a brand of toy truck -- recalled in the US for catching on fire -- has called a local toy store "irresponsible'' for selling the items.

The trucks, which retail for approximately $399, have been the subject of a recall by Fisher-Price involving up to 10 million battery-powered Power Wheels ride-on cars and trucks.

Gail MacNeil told The Royal Gazette she was Christmas shopping for her child and wanted to buy one of the trucks -- but heard about the recall while visiting friends in Canada.

Mrs. MacNeil wrote down the number of the Wrangler that she was attempting to buy -- 78493 -- and discovered from the Internet that it was "clearly an item that has been recalled''.

But she claimed when she asked the manager of the toy department at the Phoenix store about the recall he gave her the runaround.

"The manager of the Phoenix toy department never really answered my question about whether they were safe or not,'' she said.

"I've been on the Internet and got the information, but every person should not be expected to get on the Internet to find out if a toy is safe.

"There are very different safety regulations for items that are exported, and there are currently no consumer laws in Bermuda -- there's nothing that allows Consumer Affairs to come in and confiscate unsafe items.

"But they shouldn't be selling things they know are not safe... I could see if it were a `Mom and Pop' store, but the Phoenix shop has deep enough pockets where they're not going to go bankrupt if they ship the trucks back,'' she said.

"It's irresponsible, I believe it's a bit immoral, but unfortunately it's not against the law,'' she added.

According to the Fisher-Price website, about 150 fires have been reported and nine children suffered minor burns to the hands, legs or feet.

But Phoenix president George Grundmuller has assured customers that safety is their foremost concern -- and the store yesterday received upgrade kits rectifying the situation to be included free with every purchase.

"We took immediate action as soon as we heard of the issue, and our managers are now instructed to inform the customer about the potential problem and hand out an information sheet,'' he said.

"And (overheating) happens only when customers tamper with the vehicles -- out of the 4 million sold, .004 percent have had a problem (with fires).

"We only have about 10 or 12 in stock and Phoenix Stores have not sold any of the units in question because they are still in our warehouse,'' he added.

The vehicles affected by the recall all have two gear boxes behind the back tyres. The six-volt vehicle with one gear box is not affected and all vehicles manufactured after September 30, 1998 are not affected.

According to a press release on their website at www.powerwheels.com, the vehicles' electrical components can overheat and cause fires and wiring problems can prevent the vehicles from stopping.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Fisher-Price have received approximately 700 reports of electrical components failing and overheating while the trucks were being ridden, charged, parked or stored.

There have also been 71 reports of vehicles not stopping, and six children have suffered bruises and scratches as a result.

And up to $300,000 in property damage to 22 houses and garages have been reported.