JC Penny Drop-Side Crib Recall Issued Due to Infant Risk

A recall has been issued for about 73,000 drop-side cribs sold at JC Penny after at least three reports were received indicating the drop-down side rails may malfunction and detach. 

The JC Penny drop-side cribs recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on March 26, due to a potential risk that the side-drop walls may detach and leave children vulnerable to suffocation.

Although no injuries or incidents have been reported in connection with the recalled JC Penny cribs, a number of prior infant deaths have been linked to the drop-side crib design, and millions of other similar cribs have been recalled from the market in recent years.

The JC Penny crib recall includes the following 14 models of the PT Domusindo Perdana wooden drop-side cribs; Jenny Lind Crib with model number 343-1509 and date code 01/1991-12/1997151, Christopher Crib with model number 343-3810 and date code 2001151, Early American Crib with model number 343-5500 and date code 01/1998/12/1999151, Scottsdale Crib with model number 343-6771 and date code 01/1998/12/1999151, Sleigh Crib without Rossette with model number 343-7100 and date code 01/2004-12/2006, Sleigh Crib 01/2001-2/2004, Anniversary Sleigh Crib with model number 343-7144 and date code 01/2002-12/2004, Kristin Crib with model number 343-7753 and date code 01/1998-12/1999, Cameron Crib with model number 343-8249 and date code 01/1998/12/1999, Solid Panel Sleigh Crib with model number 343-8020 and date code 01/2001-12/2002, Roll Bar Convertible Crib with model number 343-8070 and date code 01/2004-12/2005, Anniversary Convertible Sleigh Crib with model number 343-8155 and date code 01/2002-12/2006, Spindle Convertible Crib with model number 343-8200 and date code 01/2001-12/2005, and Bella 3-in-1 Crib with model number 343-8913 and date code 01/2005-12/2008. The name, model number and date codes can be found printed on the plywood mattress board.

The recalled drop-side cribs were manufactured in Indonesia under Domusindo Perdana, of Indonesia and imported by JC Penney Corporation of Plano, Texas where they were sold online at  JCPenney.com and from the JCPenney catalog from January 1998 through December 2008 for between $200 and $400.

Since 2005, the CPSC has received at least 122 incident reports involving toddler beds, with at least 43 of those incidents resulting in a personal injury and four resulting in the death of an infant.

A drop-side crib ban enacted by the CPSC went into effect in June 2011, after the commission voted to stop the sale, resale and manufacture of all cribs featuring the drop-side design. The vote came after it was determined that the design was inherently dangerous and that the cribs often fail to hold up over time.

The CPSC recommends that consumers stop using the recalled cribs immediately and contact Modus Furniture International at (800) 827-2129 or visit them online at www.savannababy.com and navigate to the “Recall” tab to receive a free immobilizer kit that will prevent the sides of the crib from dropping. The immobilizing kits will not be available until May 2013, in the meantime, the CPSC recommends that  parents find a safe alternative place for the child to sleep.