Ikea relaunches recall of 29 million Malm chests after eighth child is killed by falling furniture
The death of a California toddler, who was found trapped underneath an Ikea Malm dresser in May, has raised fresh questions about the furniture
IKEA has once again issued a recall of 29 million chests and dressers after the death of an eighth child.
CEO Lars Petersson said the furniture giant wants to increase awareness of the recall campaign for several types of chest and dressers that can easily tip over if not properly anchored to a wall.
The death of a California toddler, who was found trapped underneath an Ikea Malm dresser in May, has raised questions about whether Ikea has effectively spread the word about the recall, which was first announced in June 2016.
British homes are still filled with at least a million deadly Ikea Malm dressers and Ikea has so far not issued the recall in the UK or Australia.
The Swedish retailer and the federal safety regulators are asking customers to take immediate action to secure the dressers, or to return them.
Petersson said Ikea has had an "extensive communication" campaign through social media, its website and television and print ads.
The company emailed 13 million people about the recall two months ago, he said.
Still, he said heightening awareness of the recall is necessary "because we think that it's so important to reach as many people as possible."
Acting chairman for the US Consumer Product Safety Commission Ann Marie Buerkle said that people who own the furniture can take care of any potential hazards by contacting Ikea.
The recall, which applies only to customers in the US and Canada, is for children's chests and drawers taller than 23.5 inches and adult chests and dressers taller than 29.5 inches.
Customers should contact Ikea for a free wall-mounting kit.
The company is also offering to send crews to attach them in the home.
Ikea is offering full refunds for anyone who no longer wants the furniture. Customers can bring them to a store, or Ikea will pick them up.
At least eight children under the age of three have been killed when an Ikea dresser fell on them, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The first death occurred 28 years ago and the others occurred after 2002.
The latest death was Jozef Dudek, two, of Buena Park, California. The toddler had been put down for a nap when his father went in to check on him and found him under the dresser, according to details released by lawyers retained by the family.
Alan Feldman, one of the lawyers representing the Dudek family, said Ikea's recall has been "poorly publicised" and "ineffective in getting these defective and unstable dressers out of children's bedrooms."
The same team of lawyers represented the families of three toddlers who died when Ikea dressers fell on them. Ikea reached a $50 million settlement with the families last December.
Petersson said that more than 1 million dressers of have been returned for a refund or have been secured to walls with Ikea's help since 2015, when the company first offered free wall-mounting kits.
Buerkle said Ikea has "worked hard to make this an effective recall." She said it presents customers with an array of options "and is as least burdensome to the consumer as it could be."
Ikea said the recalled products are sold with instructions that they had to be attached to walls. Petersson emphasised the recalled units are safe when this is done.
The recall is for all Ikea chest and dressers that do not comply with US voluntary industry standards. They included 8 million Malm chest and dressers that were sold from 2002 through June 2016.
Peterson said that Ikea has stopped selling products that do not adhere to US voluntary standards.
Donna Moore, Country Customer Relations Manager said, “At IKEA, we believe children are the most important people in the world and the safety of our products is our highest priority.
"Customers should always feel confident that products bought at IKEA are safe to use. Accidents related to furniture tip-over is a serious home safety issue for the entire home furnishing industry and this week, IKEA US and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission are re-announcing the ongoing voluntary recall of certain chests of drawers in the US.
"IKEA chests of drawers meet all mandatory stability requirements on all markets where sold and we would like to reassure people that IKEA chests of drawers are safe when anchored to the wall as per the assembly instructions, using the tip over restraint provided with the product.
"We are committed to raising awareness among consumers of the tip over risks and how to prevent them and are convinced that we can make a difference by sharing knowledge about safety in the home through our “Secure it!” awareness campaign."
In June last year a UK mum described how she thought her daughter was going to die after Ikea drawers allegedly crushed her – leaving her "scarred for life".
Kellie Curtis, 25, from Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire, claims she came into a bedroom at her family home at 6.30pm last Monday and found little Evie-Mai McKenzie trapped under the Malm drawers covered in blood.
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