Armor All Products Settles Suit for $60,000

SANTA ANA — Armor All Products Corp., hit again with claims involving product defects, agreed Wednesday to pay $60,000 to settle an Orange County district attorney’s lawsuit accusing the company of mislabeling its wood-cleaning product.

The maker of the leading automotive vinyl and rubber protectant and other car and home care products said that the label’s instructions for applying its EZ Deck Wash were changed before the district attorney’s consumer protection agency began investigating a year ago.

The case involved “rare incidents of spotting on some decks if the product is not applied properly,” said company spokesman Michael McCafferty. EZ Deck Wash, he said, is effective in removing mildew stains from wood decks but could cause spotting.

“The product does not and never did cause damage to wood,” said Paul Meyer, a lawyer for Armor All. “The only problem was spotting, which was rare, and that was resolvable by treatment.”

Spotting, even on new or recently sealed wood, could be avoided by applying the wood cleaner with a roller instead of spraying it, Meyer said.

Armor All settled, he said, because legal costs to fight the lawsuit would have been too expensive. No other state or local prosecutor has questioned the company about its deck wash, he said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Wendy Brough said that a call to the agency sparked a request for Armor All’s records, which revealed that the Aliso Viejo company had received about 70 complaints nationwide on the product. None of the complaints came from Orange County.

Besides consenting to paying a $40,000 penalty and $20,000 in costs, the company agreed to make sure that the instructions on its labels are correct, and to provide restitution to those who call with further complaints, she said.

“I believe the problem has been taken care of,” Brough said.

The company took an $8-million charge in its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended March 31, to cover costs for replacing its QuickSilver Wheel Cleaner product because of faulty aerosol cans. It took a $1-million charge a year earlier for the same reason.

Armor All, which has nearly two-thirds of the market for auto vinyl and rubber protectants, has been the subject over the years of reports from some independent car-cleaning businesses that its products could harm vinyl dashboards and car tops that receive heavy sun exposure. The company has denied the claims, and the reports have never been validated.

In early 1995, a former research manager suing for wrongful termination alleged that the company covered up internal findings showing that Armor All Protectant caused more rapid cracking in tires and vinyl surfaces and that Armor All Tire Foam could reduce braking power by weakening treads of worn or used tires. The case was settled, but details were sealed to protect the company’s trade secrets.