Swedish furniture retailer IKEA Group is recalling nearly 36 million chests and dressers in the United States and Canada that have been linked to the deaths of six children, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Tuesday.
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“IKEA chests of drawers are safe when anchored to the wall per the assembly instruction, using the tip-over restraint provided with the product”, said a statement from IKEA.
An Ikea MALM dresser is placed by the road, following the recall of nearly 36 million chests and dressers in the United States and Canada, in a Brooklyn neighborhood of New York City, U.S., June 28, 2016. Ikea is offering free kits to attach the chests and dressers to a wall. Consumers can still ask for a free wall anchoring kit, but they can also opt fora refund for their furniture.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, notes that there have been other tip-over incidents as well, including three earlier deaths involving other models of Ikea furniture, and dozens of accidents that did not result in deaths.
All of the children killed were 3 years old or younger, the CPSC said.
The recalled units were sold at Ikea stores for years.
“The products are not created to be freestanding; they are created to be attached to the wall”, Ikea U.S. President Lars Petersson tells NPR.
The recall covers six models of MALM chests or dressers manufactured from 2002 to 2016, as well as about 100 other families of chests or dressers, it said.
IKEA said it had no details on potential costs stemming from the recall.
The recall, which only applies to customers in the US and Canada, is for several types of Ikea chests and dressers, including the Malm line.
Malm chests with more than two drawers had disappeared from Ikea’s website as of Monday night.
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“I expect the rest of the furniture industry to do the same”, said Kaye.
