In common law jurisdictions in the United States, there is an article in the Uniform Commercial Code (which has been adopted by most states) that imposes what is commonly known as the "implied warranty," or "warranty of fitness." It is, effectively, the U.S. equivalent of the UK law noted in the article. In operation, it requires that goods sold by merchants (which has specific legal meaning) must be fit for the particular purpose that enticed the buyer to purchase them. These warranties can (and, presumably, often are) be disclaimed by the seller, and so whether or not you could recover for something like this would depend on a variety of factors, including the particular laws of any person's state of residence/purchase.
Please keep in mind that this post is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, legal advice of any kind, and under no circumstances can it be relied on as such.