Ikea Dressers Are Being Recalled. Ikea is recalling 29 million dressers and chests in the United States because children have been injured and killed by dressers that tip over and fall onto them. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, tipped over Ikea dressers and chests have been linked to 30 injuries and the deaths of six children. In light of this, federal regulators are calling for immediate action, Law360 reports.
According to a CPSC press release issued Tuesday, the recall affects 8 million MALM chests and dressers and 21 million other Ikea adult chests and dressers in the United States. An additional 6.6 million chests and dressers were sold in Canada. The recalled products ranged from three to six drawer dresser and chests. The children’s dressers are taller than 23.5 inches while the adult dressers are taller than 29.5 inches. CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye urged consumers to remove the recalled products from children as soon as possible. “If you have or think you have one of these products, act immediately,” he said. “It is simply too dangerous to have the recalled furniture in your home unanchored, especially if you have young children.”
Ikea Recalled Products Posing Entrapment Hazard
Ikea warned that its recalled products “are unstable if they are not properly anchored to the wall, posing a tip-over and entrapment hazard that can result in death or injuries to children.” CPSC says unanchored products should be relocated into areas non-accessible to children, such as storage.
In 2014, two children died when MALM dressers tipped over onto them. One child was a two-year-old from Pennsylvania, the other a 23-month old from Washington. Following these deaths, Ikea launched a repair program last July. The program offered a free wall-anchoring repair kit to secure chests and dressers, including the MALM, to the wall. Sadly, another child was killed this February when a six-drawer MALM unit fell onto him. CPSC notes that in all these instances, the chests were not secured to the wall.
According to CPSC, Ikea received 41 reports of MALM tip-overs, leading to 17 injuries. The children involved ranged in age from 19 months to 10 years. The tip-over problem isn’t limited to MALM dressers. Since 1989, IKEA has received 41 reports of tip overs involving dressers other than MALM. These incidents resulted in 19 injuries and three deaths.
The recall also includes nearly 100 units “that do not meet the performance requirements of the U.S. voluntary industry standard,” CPSC states.
Ikea says customers who purchased recalled units made between January 2002 and June 2016 can receive a full refund, and those with a unit made before 2002 can receive partial store credit. The furniture retailer also said they can order a free wall-anchoring kit at any time.
Need Legal Help Regarding Ikea Dressers?
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