Walmart Dresser Recall Issued Over Tip-Over Risk

More than 1.6 million chests of drawers sold primarily at Walmart have been recalled, due since the dressers do not comply with furniture tip-over requirements, and may pose a risk of serious injury for small children.

The Walmart Ameriwood Home dresser recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on September 6, after at least one report was received where one of the four-drawer chests tipped over onto a four-year-old, entrapping and injuring the child.

The four-drawer chests are being recalled due to their failure to comply with the performance requirements of industry standards, which are intended to reduce injuries and deaths of children from hazards associated with the tip over of free-standing clothing storage units, such as chests, door chests and dressers, over 30 inches in height.

These standards were developed due to the growing concerns of furniture tip-over injuries recorded across the U.S. in recent years.

According to CPSC data, furniture and TV tip-over accidents have caused 430 deaths over the last 13 years and account for roughly 38,000 emergency rooms visits annually. The commission warns that at least one child dies every two weeks and another child is injured every 24 minutes in the U.S. from heavy furniture or televisions tipping over.

Several dresser and chest recalls have been issued in recent years with the largest being the IKEA recall in June 2016, which pulled more than 35 million child and adult chests and dressers from the market. The recall came after at least 17 injuries and three deaths were linked to its MALM dressers.

Children are inherently more susceptible to 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.

1.6 Million Mainstays Chests of Drawers Recalled

The CPSC initiated the latest recall after receiving a report from the manufacturer that a four-year-old child was injured after a four-drawer chest of drawers tipped over on the child, posing a suffocation, trauma, and serious injury hazard.

Included in the recall are Mainstays four-drawer chests of drawers that are equipped with plaster drawer slides and a single decorative pull on each of the four drawers. The chests are made of a composite wood and were sold in the colors alder, black forest, white, weathered oak, walnut and ruby red. The chests measure 40 5/16 inches high by 27 11/16 inches wide by 14 11/16 inches deep and are marked with model numbers 5412012WP, 5412301WP, 5412328WP, 5412015WY, 5412301WY, 5412012PCOM, 5412015PCOM, 5412026PCOM, 5412213PCOM, 5412214PCOM, 5412301PCOM, 5412317PCOM, and 5412328PCOM, which are printed on the instruction manual.

The Walmart Mainstays dressers were manufactured in the U.S. and Canada by Ameriwood Home of Tiffin, Ohio. They were distributed for sale throughout the U.S. to Walmart stores and other retail stores as well as online through various retailers from April 2009 through May 2016 for about $60.

The CPSC announced an estimated 1.6 million units were sold throughout the United States and an additional 1,000 units were distributed for sale in Canada.

Customers with recalled chests of drawers are being asked to stop using them immediately if they are not properly anchored to the wall, and to move them into an area where children cannot access them. Customers should contact Ameriwood at 877-222-7460 or visit them online at www.Ameriwood.com and navigate to the “Support” tab for information on how to receive a free repair kit that includes a wall anchoring device and wider feet for the base of the unit.