In yet another massive baby crib recall, over one million defective cribs are being recalled over potential suffocation hazards.  The Stork Craft line of baby cribs is being recalled by Stork Craft Manufacturing, Inc., a Canadian company based in British Columbia, reported Reuters.  Over half of the cribs—535,000—are being recalled in the U.S.; 494,000 are being recalled in Canada.  Authorities confirmed the recall involves a potential suffocation hazard, said Reuters.

The recalled Stork Craft Cribs were sold between May 2000 and January 2009 at major retailers that include J.C. Penney, Kmart, and Wal-Mart and online at Amazon.com, Babiesrus.com, Costco.com, and Walmart.com.  The recalled Stork Craft Cribs retailed for between $100 and $400 and were manufactured in Canada, China, and Indonesia.  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) explained that, “The metal support brackets used to support the crib mattress and mattress board can crack and break….  When one or more support brackets break, the mattress can collapse and create a dangerous gap between the mattress and crib rails, in which a child can become entrapped and suffocate.”

The CPSC said it is aware of 10 incidents in which one or more mattress support brackets broke and that, in several of the incidents, the support bracket broke causing the mattress to collapse and create a gap between the mattress and crib rails.  To date, the CPSC received a report of a toddler who sustained bruises to his forehead and another report of a child reportedly becoming entrapped in the gap between the mattress and the drop side rail.

Reuters reported that Health Canada claims the cribs meet its safety standards, but that the recall has been implemented as a “precautionary” measure.  Also, Stork Craft Chief Executive Jim Moore said, “The cribs meet all the standards many times over and we just want the product to be the best it can be,” quoted Reuters.  Meanwhile, the CPSC is urging parents and caregivers to immediately stop using the defective cribs and find an alternative, safe sleeping environment for their baby.  Consumers should contact Stork Craft to receive a free replacement kit, with new mattress support brackets.

All Stork Craft Baby Cribs with manufacturing and distribution dates between May 2000 and November 2008 are included in this recall.  The recalled Stork Craft Baby Cribs were sold in a variety of styles and finishes; however, the manufacture date; model number; crib name; country of origin; and the firm’s name, address, and contact information are located on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board.  Also, the firm’s insignia “storkcraft baby” is inscribed on the drop side teething rail of some of the cribs.  Stork Craft can be reached toll-free at (866) 361-3321 anytime to order the free replacement kit and can also be contacted via its Website at www.storkcraft.com.

Crib recalls are occurring with increasing frequency.  According to the CPSC, over three million dangerously defective cribs were recalled in just the past two years.  Unfortunately, many of those faulty cribs weren’t recalled until they had killed children.  Worse, in many instances, when a crib is recalled, consumers are told to contact the manufacturer to obtain a kit that is meant to fix a defect.  That solution is controversial and many consumer advocates believe defective cribs should be removed from the market altogether.  And, in at least one instance, a Chicago Tribune investigation found that a repair kit alone was not enough to make a recalled crib safe.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at 10:00 am and is filed under Defective Products, Legal News, Product Recalls.