[2] Founded in 1936, CR was created to serve as a source of information that consumers could use to help assess the safety and performance of products.

[3] Since that time, CR has continued its testing and analysis of products and services, and attempted to advocate for the consumer in legislative and rule-making areas.

Consumer Reports Advocacy frequently supports environmental causes, including heightened regulations on auto manufacturers.

She joined the organization in 2014, following her work with the Ford Foundation, with the goal of expanding its engagement and advocacy efforts.

This group continues to grow as Consumer Reports expands its reach, with 6 million paid members who have access to online tools like a car recall tracker and personalized content.

An additional base of online members join for free and received guidance on a range of products (e.g. gas grills, washing machines) at no charge.

In March 2005, CR campaign PrescriptionforChange.org released "Drugs I Need", an animated short with a song from the Austin Lounge Lizards, that was featured by The New York Times, JibJab, BoingBoing, and hundreds of blogs.

On Earth Day 2005, CR launched GreenerChoices.org, a web-based initiative meant to "inform, engage, and empower consumers about environmentally friendly products and practices".

[13] The campaign has worked in every state calling for legislation requiring hospitals to disclose infection rates to the public.

GreenerChoices.org offers an "accessible, reliable, and practical source of information on buying 'greener' products that have minimal environmental impact and meet personal needs".

[19][20] CR has unusually strict requirements and sometimes has taken extraordinary steps; for example it declined to renew a car dealership's bulk subscription because of "the appearance of an impropriety".

This article appeared prior to an Oct. 25 memo by Consumer Products Safety Commission Commissioner Richard L. Trumka entitled 'Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Ban Gas Stoves'.

Consumer Reports states that PriceGrabber places the ads and pays a percentage of referral fees to CR,[25] who has no direct relationship with the retailers.

[35][36][37] Consumer Reports pays a rental fee to manufacturers when using these press samples[clarification needed] and does not include the products in its ratings.

[37] For most of CR's history, it minimized contact with government and industry experts "to avoid compromising the independence of its judgment".

[49] It gave children financial advice for budgeting their allowances and saving for a big purchase, reviewed kid-oriented consumer products (e.g., toys, clothes, electronics, food, videogames, etc.

[51] In 1927, F.J. Schlink and Stuart Chase published their best selling novel, Your Money's Worth, which saw massive readership due to the consumer movement.

[54] The Crowell Institute on Consumer Relations founded in 1937, sprouted from the forum Woman's Home Companion, which had a readership of 2 million.

The urged their supporters to put aside their personal interest by consuming less, and following the government ordered policies of consumption.

[66] In the July 1978 issue, Consumer Reports rated the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon automobile "not acceptable", the first car it had judged such since the AMC Ambassador in 1968.

In its testing they found the possibility of these models' developing an oscillatory yaw as a result of a sudden violent input to the steering; the manufacturer claimed: "Some do, some don't" show this behavior, but it has no "validity in the real world of driving".

[citation needed] BMW changed the software for the stability control in its X5 SUV after replicating a potential rollover problem discovered during a CR test.

[68] In 2010, CR rated the 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV unsafe after the vehicle failed one of the magazine's emergency safety tests.

This led to the discovery of a bug in the Safari web browser, which Apple promptly fixed via a software update.

[76][77][78] In 1988, Consumer Reports announced during a press conference that the Suzuki Samurai had demonstrated a tendency to roll and deemed it "not acceptable".

In July 2004, after eight years in court, the suit was settled and dismissed with no money changing hands and no retraction issued, but Consumers Union did agree to no longer refer to the 16-year-old test results of the 1988 Samurai in its advertising or promotional materials.

[80] In 2003, Sharper Image sued CR in California for product disparagement over negative reviews of its Ionic Breeze Quadra air purifier.

The article was removed from the CR website, and on January 18, 2007, the organization posted a note on its home page about the misleading tests.

It later retracted the report claiming that there had been "a systemic error in the measurements of various minerals we tested – potassium, calcium and magnesium".

[86] As part of a wider rebranding of Consumer Reports in September 2016, the appearance of the magazine's rating system was significantly revamped.