Nearly a year after IKEA recalled 29 million topple-prone dressers and chests following the deaths of at least four children, another furniture manufacturer has issued a similar safety campaign: Ameriwood Home recalled 1.6 million chests sold at Walmart.
Ameriwood Home announced today the recall of its Mainstays four-drawer chests after receiving a report that a four-year-old child was injured when the dresser toppled over.
According to a notice posted with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the unstable chests pose a serious tip-over and entrapment hazard if they are not anchored to the wall.
Additionally, the furniture does not meet the performance requirements of the U.S. voluntary industry standards. The CPSC notes that it has received one report of an injury after one of the composite wood chests tipped over onto a four-year-old.
The affected chests include four drawers with plastic drawer glides and a single decorative pull on each drawer.
Measuring about 40 inches in height and 27 inches wide, the chests were sold in six colors — alder, black forest, white, weathered oak, walnut, and ruby red — at Walmart and other retailers from April 2009 to May 2016 for about $60.
Affected pieces can be identified by the following model numbers located on the instruction manual:
• 5412012WP
• 5412301WP
• 5412328WP
• 5412015WY
• 5412301WY
• 5412012PCOM
• 5412015PCOM
• 5412026PCOM
• 5412213PCOM
• 5412214PCOM
• 5412301PCOM
• 5412317PCOM
• 5412328PCOM
Consumers who have the furniture in their homes are urged to stop using the chest if it is not properly anchored to the wall and place it into an area that children cannot access.
Owners can contact Ameriwood at 877-222-7460 or ameriwood.com for a free repair kit that includes a wall anchoring device and feet for the unit. Consumers who require additional installation guidance should contact Ameriwood for further assistance.
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist