Ikea recalls 820,000 chests due to tip-over risk to children
Ikea is recalling 820,000 Kullen three-drawer chests sold nationwide because they can tip over and crush kids, the Swedish furniture store and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Wednesday.
The Ikea Kullen dresser is not stable if not anchored to a wall, posing the risk of injury or death to children, the recall notice stated. Three-drawer versions of the Kullen chest imported after August 12, 2019, are also not in compliance with voluntary performance standards.
Consumers should immediately stop using the dressers and place them out of the reach of children, the federal agency stated. Ikea is offering consumers the option of a refund or a repair kit to attach the chests to a wall.
Ikea has received six reports of tip-over incidents involving the Kullen three-drawer chests, including one report involving a minor cut and one report involving minor cuts and bruises. The chests were sold at the retailer's stores across the country and online from April 2005 to December 2019 for about $60. An additional 150,000 of the chests were sold in Canada.
The recall comes two months after Ikea agreed to pay $46 million to the parents of a toddler killed by one of the company's Malm dressers in California in 2017. At least 89 people, mostly children, were killed in furniture tip-overs from 2014 to 2018, according to the CPSC. However, the federal agency expects that death toll will rise once reporting for the period is complete.
About 17.3 million Ikea Malm chest and drawers were recalled in 2016 and 2017.
The latest recall is the seventh since September involving chests and drawers by the CPSC. The commission also issued a safety alert for a dresser made by Hodedah, and at the time noted that furniture tip-overs led to an estimated 20,900 emergency room visits a year from 2014 through 2018.
Consumer advocates including the parents of children fatally crushed by furniture have called out both Ikea and government regulators for not doing enough to address the issue.
The recalled chests weigh approximately 45 pounds, are 28 3/8 inches tall and were sold in black-brown or birch colors. The article numbers for the Kullen three-drawer chest are 600-930-58 (birch), 501-637-54 (black-brown), and 803-221-34 (black-brown). A five-digit supplier number, four-digit date stamp, Ikea logo, country of origin and "KULLEN" are printed on the underside of the top panel or inside the side panel.
Consumers can call Ikea at (888) 966-4532 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern time or go online at www.IKEA-USA.com/secureit for more information on how to receive a refund or a free wall-anchoring repair kit.