September 21, 2007
Simplicity Inc. is recalling nearly one million cribs, including some that may have been recalled previously, after reports of three infant deaths.
The drop-side can detach from the crib, which can create a dangerous gap and lead to the entrapment and suffocation of infants.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said it is aware of two deaths in Simplicity manufactured cribs with older style hardware, including a 9-month-old child and a 6-month-old child, where the drop-side was installed upside down.
CPSC is also investigating the death of a 1-year-old child in a Simplicity crib with newer style hardware, in which the drop-side was installed upside down. CPSC is also aware of seven infant entrapments and 55 incidents in these cribs.
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The drop-side failures result from both the hardware and crib design, which allow consumers to unintentionally install the drop-side upside down. This, in turn, can weaken the hardware and cause the drop-side to detach from the crib. When the drop-side detaches, it creates a gap in which infants can become entrapped.
CPSC is warning parents and caregivers to check all Simplicity cribs to make sure the drop-side is installed right side up.
To do this, check to see that the slightly rounded rail with the decorative groove is installed at the top and the plain rail is on the bottom. Next, consumers should make sure the drop-side is securely attached to the tracks in all four corners.
CPSC said it is also aware of two incidents that occurred when the drop-side was correctly installed with older style hardware, though the upside down installation greatly increases the risk of failure.
It's the second Simplicity recall this year. In June, the company recalled t 40,000 of its Nursery-in-a-Box Cribs because of a choking and fall hazard.
Consumer confusion
Consumer advocates were critical of the CPSC's announcement, saying it did not make clear that some of the cribs had already been recalled for other problems.
"This crib recall is very confusing for consumers because many of the products involved have previously been recalled and it doesn't explain that anywhere in the agency's press releases," said Consumer Federation of America Director of Product Safety Rachel Weintraub.
"A crib is one of the few products that's actually designed for a parent to leave a child unattended. When there's a problem of this magnitude with a crib, there's a huge breach of trust with the manufacturer," she said.
Others noted the CPSC's release referred only to Simplicity cribs in its headline and did not mention the Graco brand until the fifth paragraph of its news release.
"CPSC does this constantly -- they build their release around the corporate name of the manufacturer or importer instead of a brand name that consumers might recognize," said ConsumerAffairs.com President and Editor in Chief James R. Hood.
"A big part of the CPSC's mission is alerting the public to safety hazards. To do that, it needs to use readily-recognized brand names, not obscure corporate identities that mean nothing to the consumer," Hood said.
The recalled Simplicity crib models include: Aspen 3 in 1, Aspen 4 in 1, Nursery-in-a-Box, Crib N Changer Combo, Chelsea and Pooh 4 in 1. The recall also involves the following Simplicity cribs that used the Graco logo: Aspen 3 in 1, Ultra 3 in 1, Ultra 4 in1, Ultra 5 in 1, Whitney and the Trio.
The recalled cribs have one of the following model numbers, which can be found on the envelope attached to the mattress support and on the label attached to the headboard: 4600, 4605, 4705, 5000, 8000, 8324, 8800, 8740, 8910, 8994, 8050, 8750, 8760, and 8996.
The cribs, which were made in China, were sold in department stores, children's stores and mass merchandisers nationwide from January 1998 through May 2007 for between $100 and $300.
The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
