Ikea KULLEN 3-Drawer Chest Recall Issued Over Furniture Tip-Over Risk

More than 1 million IKEA chests have been recalled, after it was discovered that the furniture does not meet stability standards and poses a tip-over risk if not properly anchored to the wall.

The IKEA KULLEN 3-drawer chests recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on March 4, after IKEA received at least six reports of problems where the chests tipped over on children, resulting in injuries.

Similar IKEA furniture tip-over problems have impacted other designs, causing severe and life threatening injuries for young children who attempted to climb up on the chests.

The CPSC indicates that the KULLEN 3-drawer chests do not comply with the performance requirements of the U.S. voluntary industry standards, which requires furniture over specified heights to be anchored to walls to prevent tip-over hazards to consumers.

The recall involves approximately 970,000 KULLEN 3-drawer chests that measure28 3/8 inches tall and were sold in black-brown or birch colors. The impacted 3-drawer chests are marked with article numbers 600-930-58, 501-637-54, and 803-221-34 and have a 5-digit supplier number, 4-digit date stamp, IKEA logo, country of origin and “KULLEN” are printed on the underside of the top panel or inside the side panel.

An estimated 820,000 KULLEN 3-drawer chests were sold exclusively at IKEA stores nationwide and online in the United States from April 2005 to December 2019 for about $60. IKEA announced an additional 150,000 units were distributed for sale to Canada.

CPSC officials are encouraging consumers to stop using the KULLEN 3-drawer chests if they are not anchored to the wall and to immediately place them into an area that children cannot access to prevent injuries or possible death from tip-over incidents.

IKEA announced customers will be given the option to either return the product to their local store for a full refund or schedule a free at-home pick-up, or customers may choose to receive a free wall-attachment anchoring kit and free in-home installation.

Customers with additional questions or concerns are being asked to contact IKEA’s toll-free recall hotline at 888-966-4532 or to visit them online at www.IKEA-USA.com/secureit for more information on how to receive a refund or a free wall-anchoring repair kit.

The recall follows a recently settled IKEA wrongful death lawsuit, which resolved claims brought by the family of a two-year-old boy, who was killed after being crushed when an unstable MALM series dresser tipped over on him in May 2017.

The lawsuit raised allegations that IKEA failed to properly carry out a recall of millions of MALM dressers, since the risks associated with the product were first announced in June 2016, after the products had been tied to several tip-over incidents and child deaths.

Since the original recall in June 2016, a total of 35 million Ikea dressers have been removed from the market by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which found that the unstable dressers posed a serious tip-over and entrapment hazard which could result in severe injuries or death to children.

Children are inherently more susceptible to furniture tip-over accidents from climbing and reaching for items at the top of dressers, or television stands, whether it is for a remote, gaming equipment or toys.

The CPSC recommends that parents never leave items desirable to children on dressers and other top heavy furniture that would entice the child to try and climb or reach for them. The agency began launching an annual Anchor It campaign to spread awareness to parents and guardians on how TV and furniture tip-over incidents occur and the simple steps to prevent them.

Any consumers with IKEA dressers or chests included in the recall are urged to stop using them immediately if they are not properly anchored into the wall or floor and to contact IKEA at 866-856-4532 or visit them online at www.IKEA-USA.com for information on how to obtain a full refund or free repair.