Massive U.S. recall of baby cribs made over suffocation risk
Last Updated: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 | 9:28 AM ET
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New York-based Delta Enterprises is recalling almost 1.6 million cribs over an entrapment and suffocation risk after the death of at least one baby.
The company said Monday about 985,000 drop-side cribs made in China, Indonesia and Taiwan between 1995 and 2005 require safety pegs that consumers may have lost during reassembly. Another 600,000 drop-side cribs made during the same time have spring pegs that can become worn out after many uses.
The company said when the safety pegs in the base of each leg of the crib are missing from the lower track, the crib locks can disengage and detach if lowered below the peg hole, creating a hazardous gap. This gap can lead to entrapment and suffocation.
The recall doesn't affect any cribs in retail inventory now, but they could still be available in second-hand stores.
The cribs were sold at major retailers in the United States, including Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target.com from January 1995 through September 2007 for about $100 US.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it is aware of a death of an eight-month-old child who became entrapped and suffocated when the drop side of the crib detached in a reassembled crib where the safety pegs were not installed. CPSC is also aware of two entrapments and nine cases of the drop side not engaging in cribs where the safety pegs were missing.
The crib recall is one of the largest in U.S. history and follows another recall of 2,000 cribs, also made in China, which was issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday.
Labels showing the model numbers and country of origin are located on the mattress support board.
Consumers can call Delta to receive a free repair kit, including new safety pegs, toll-free at 1-800-816-5304 .
The CPSC issued a general warning Tuesday urging parents to closely inspect the hardware and stability of their cribs to ensure all parts are in place and secure.
It says cribs with drop sides are the type most likely to experience hardware problems. They contain more moving parts than non-drop side cribs. In many cases, the drop side corners disengage from the tracks on the crib ends, or safety stops are damaged, permitting the drop side to detach from the crib.
"These types of defects are often undetected by parents or caregivers and can worsen when the baby pushes or leans against the side of the crib," the commission said.
With files from ReutersShare Tools
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