Simplicity Crib Recall
September 18th, 2008 • Filed Under: News, Recalls • 6 Comments
About 600,000 Simplicity Drop Side Cribs were recalled Wednesday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in cooperation with several retailers. The crib recall was issued due to a defect which could allow the drop side of the crib to detach, creating a hazardous gap that could allow an infant to become trapped or strangled.
The drop side cribs were manufactured by Simplicity, Inc. of Reading, Pennsylvania, which is no longer in business. Last month, about 900,000 Simplicity bassinets were recalled by retailers due to a risk of infant strangulation. The retailers agreed to accept returns after the U.S. CPSC was unable to obtain cooperation from SFCA, Inc., which is the company that purchased all of Simpliciy, Inc.’s assets at public auction in April 2008.
The Simplicity crib recall applies to models that were sold with model names such as Aspen and Crib N Changer Combo, Camille, Gabrielle, Shenandoah and Providence. However, the label on the headboard displays only the “Simplicity” brand name.
The cribs contain a sizing problem with the hardware, which could allow the drop side to come off of the tracks and detach or partially detach from the crib. This poses a serious risk of injury or death for any baby in the crib, as a large gap could result in which the infant’s head could become stuck.
Although no infant injuries have been associated with these Simplicity cribs, the U.S. CPSC and SFCA, Inc. are aware of at least nine incidents where the drop side detached on cribs that are part of this recall.
The Simplicity cribs were sold throughout the United States in children’s stores, department stores and mass merchandisers between January 2005 and August 2008 for prices between $150 and $300. The model numbers for the recalled Simplicity cribs include: 8620, 8745, 8748, 8755, 8756, 8778, 8810 and 8994. A label on the headboard just below the mattress support bears the date code which ends in 05GB, 05DH, 06GB, 06DH, 07GB or 07DH.
This is the third major Simplicity recall over the past 12 months.
In September 2007, approximately one million Simplicity cribs were recalled due to a similar problem caused by a different type of hardware. That crib recall, which was the largest in U.S. history, was associated with at least three infant deaths, 7 infant entrapments and 55 incidents with these cribs.
On August 28, 2008, a Simplicity bassinet recall was issued for 4-in-1 and 3-in-1 convertible close sleeper and bedside sleeper bassinets manufactured by Simplicity. These were sold under the Simplicity brand, as Graco bassinets and with “Winnie the Pooh” motifs. At least two infant deaths have been blamed on the defective Simplicity bassinets.
For this latest crib recall, consumers have been advised to immediately check their cribs and to stop using the drop side Simplicity cribs involved in this recall. A number of retailers have agreed to accept returns for refund or store credit, including: AAFES, Babies“R”Us, Burlington Coat Factory/Baby Depot, K’s Merchandise, Meijer Distribution Inc., Nebraska Furniture Mart, ShopKo, Target and Wal-Mart Stores .
Comment by Amanda on 18 September 2008:
I learned about this on the news and I want to know what is going to be done about the recall on the cribs a have the aspen crib and i am not sure what to do. I would also like a time line as to when i can exspect this to be resolved.
Comment by Vanessa on 21 October 2008:
I want an f==ing lawsuit.My son fell out of this thing and I hvae been through hell just trying to return it and guess what I still have it.What the f==k and I am expecting in june.
Comment by Johanna on 1 November 2008:
I am from Trinidad (West Indies) and purchased the Simplicity 8745 HC on 12 October 2007. When I purchased the crib, one of the track connectors in the package was broken and I have been since trying to source one. It was due to this that I noticed the RECALL. I really need to know what is being done for people who still have these cribs.
Comment by Tiffany on 4 November 2008:
The only way that I noticed the recall was because I had ordered replacement parts for other baby items. I then took the initiative to check any recalls on all of my baby items. The crib that I had, the Aspen 4-in-1, was the last item that I checked. I was glad that I checked this out because I found out that two infants were killed in the crib. It was a pain in the ass trying to return it, as I got it as a gift some six months ago. Yes, I purchased the crib WHILE there was a recall on it. Dunno how that happened, but I took pictures of the crib as proof that I have it.
Anyway, I would suggest anyone that has a Simplicity crib to go to simplicityforchildren.com and check the manufacturing numbers to make sure your crib was not the cribs involved. And if your crib IS, I would suggest taking pictures just like I did. And fight like hell to return it. I had to do that, and I find it unnecessary.
Comment by Kristen on 14 November 2008:
I also have the Aspen 4-in-1 crib and found out after owning it for 2 yrs. that it is recalled. I checked it out on http://www.cpsc.gov and they listed the model numbers and retailers that sold them. Simplicity has gone out of business, so you have to contact the retailer. I am working on returning it to Walmart. It was a bit of a hassle to find out what to do, but they are willing to give me a store credit which is great! I also contacted Target about it and that was very simple. Unfortunately, I need to replace the bed and Walmart has what I need instead of Target.
Comment by Rebecca on 31 December 2008:
We have two of the recalled Crib and Changer Combos for our twin 17 month olds. We purchased them in May of 07. I was sure something was wrong with these cribs when my babies kept getting their legs stuck and had bruises all over… and when I looked up the phone number on the internet to contact them about this, I found the recall. So now I am waiting on a call back from Shopko to find out what to do next. How do I get 2 fully assembled cribs to them and then get two more put back together… Ughhh what a pain… and I hope the return goes smoothly… and I am so grateful my babies havent been seriously hurt by this crib….