IKEA Renews its Recall on Tipping Dressers After 8th Child is Killed

By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on December 8th, 2017

Swedish furniture retailer IKEA is again publicizing its massive 2016 recall of some 17.3 million dressers and chests after another child was killed this year by one of the pieces of furniture after it toppled over onto the victim.

The recall, which was first established in June 2016 after the deaths of seven other children, is being re-announced by IKEA to again publicize the large recall as the company is trying to remind customers to return the tippy dressers and chests or acquire and install a special, free anchor kit to safely attach the furniture to a wall.

The recall affects MALM 3, 4, 5, 6 and 6 Long dressers and chests, as well as a wide variety of other similar models, according to the company. The recall covers all IKEA children’s chests and dressers taller than 23.5 inches and adult chests and dressers taller than 29.5 inches that do not comply with the performance requirements of the U.S. voluntary industry standard (ASTM F2057-014). The recall was ordered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

If the affected furniture is not firmly anchored to a wall, it can be unstable and can pose “serious tip-over and entrapment hazards that can result in injuries or death to children,” according to the recall.

Customers are being advised to immediately stop using any recalled chest or dresser that is not properly anchored to a wall and to remove it from areas where children are present until it is properly anchored.

Refunds are being given for the defective furniture, which will then be picked up for free by IKEA, or customers may get a free anchor kit which will be installed for free by IKEA on a one-time basis, according to the company’s latest recall notice. Consumers can obtain assistance from IKEA through its website at http://www.ikea.com/us/en/ or http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/ikea-chest-and-dresser-recall/index.html. Consumers with chests and dressers manufactured prior to January 2002 are eligible for a partial store credit. Customers can also call the company toll-free at 866-856-4532 anytime about the recall.

Following the original recall, in December 2016 IKEA reached a $50 million settlement with the families of three small children who were killed since 2014 when their Ikea-designed dressers shifted and fell on the toddlers, crushing them in their family homes. The three families had filed wrongful death lawsuits against IKEA, which led to the recall of the defective products.

IKEA has received 186 reports of tip-over incidents involving the MALM chests and dressers, including 91 reports of injuries to children, according to the company. In addition, IKEA has received 113 reports of tip-overs with other recalled IKEA chests and dressers, including 53 reports of injuries to children. Eight of those incidents resulted in the deaths of children.

The most recent incident came in May 2017 when a 2-year-old boy in Buena Park, Calif., died after he became trapped beneath an unanchored MALM 3-drawer chest that tipped over.

Continuing to disseminate this important recall information is critical to ensuring that no additional children are injured or killed by these products. We are glad to see IKEA re-issuing its recall alerts and for working to let parents know of the dangers of the furniture, much of which is still in homes across the nation.

If you have any of these affected furniture models in your home, then please contact IKEA immediately for a refund and removal or request a free anchor kit and in-home anchoring service to protect your loved ones.

These kinds of tragic legal cases occur every day when innocent victims are severely hurt or killed in product liability cases, vehicle crashes or other incidents through no fault of their own due to the actions, inattentiveness or indifference of others. That’s why it is critical to have a legal team on your side that uncovers every fact to bolster your case and maximize your damage award.

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