Skip to main content

Child's Death Prompts Recall of Ikea Dresser Sets

By Ephrat Livni, Esq. on June 30, 2016 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Anyone who has ever bought furniture from Ikea knows it can be frustrating to assemble the pieces. Perhaps for this reason people have not been securing some of the company's dresser drawer sets to walls as instructed. Apparently failure to do so has grave consequences and the company is now recalling the deadly dressers.

Toppling Furnishings

After a third child died due to a fallen dresser drawer set, Ikea announced a recall this week. There are no details on the death. Last year, the Swedish furniture maker offered a repair kit to purchasers who had not secured the dresser drawers to the wall. Now it is asking for them to be returned.

The Ikea website describes the recalled pieces. "The recall affects children's chests and dressers taller than 23.5 inches and adult chests and dressers taller than 29.5 inches ... manufactured and sold through June 2016 and include the 3-drawer, 4-drawer, 5-drawer and 6-drawer models. Other IKEA chests and dressers in this recall were sold at various times through June 2016."

The Fix Is This

Last summer, Ikea tried to rectify problems associated with the toppling dresser drawer sets by creating a fix. Two children died because the drawers had not been secured and the company believed the repair kits would spur action on parents' parts, even those who didn't secure the dresser sets to the wall to begin with. It did not happen and the recent statement from the company, announcing a third child's demise, had a disappointed tone.

"We are announcing this recall today given the recent tragic death of a third child. It is clear that there are still unsecured products in customers' homes, and we believe that taking further action is the right thing to do," the company said in a statement Monday. Repair kits are still available for the handy, however, according to the website.

Overwhelming Response

Indeed, consumers seemed to agree with Ikea that a recall was the right response. Unfortunately, so many people contacted the company that it is already overwhelmed. On Tuesday its website announced that it was experiencing extremely high call volumes and long hold times at its call center and directed consumers to its online FAQs.

Injured?

If you were injured by a defective product or in an accident, talk to a lawyer. Tell your story. Many attorneys consult for free or a minimal fee and will be happy to discuss your case.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard