Morning Money Memo:

Could you get burned by your morning coffee? Keurig Green Mountain Inc. is recalling nearly 7 million popular single-serve coffee brewing machines because of reported burns. Keurig says its Mini Plus Brewing Systems, with model number K10, can overheat and spray water during brewing. Keurig says it received about 200 reports of hot liquid escaping from the brewer, including 90 reports of burn-related injuries. The Consumer Product Safety Commission released details on the recall this morning. The recalled brewers have an identification number starting with "31? printed on the bottom. They were sold online and in stores in the United States and Canada between 2009 and 2014. Keurig's share price dropped more than 3 percent after the recall was announced.

New cars are getting safer, despite the recent recalls of faulty air bags and ignition switches. "Our long list of top safety picks shows that car safety is advancing rapidly," Adrian Lund of the Insurance Institute for Auto Safety says. Automakers are "improving small-overlap protection and .they're adding front crash prevention systems to more mainstream vehicles." The Institute says the number of 2015 vehicles that received a top rating is more than double the number of last year's models.

Average gas prices are down 86 cents from a year ago, according to the U.S. Energy Department. Pump prices dropped 15 cents a gallon in the past week. Natural gas prices are close to a two-year low. That means lower heating costs for many consumers. On wholesale markets, natural gas prices fell 9 percent Monday. Stockpiles rose after mild weather in many northern states reduced expected demand. Some analysts say markets had priced in a cold winter, like last year.

The dream of a fully operational self-driving car is closer to reality. Google unveiled its first prototype. "Today we're unwrapping the best holiday gift we could've imagined," according to a Google statement. The company says its prototypes combined self-driving technology with regular car parts from outside suppliers. "We've now put all those systems together in this fully functional vehicle; our first complete prototype for fully autonomous driving."

Richard Davies Business Correspondent ABC News Radio abcnews.com Twitter: daviesnow

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