Largest Crib Recall in US History Announced

Washington, DCIt's the largest crib recall in US history. Late yesterday the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a massive voluntary recall of 2.1 million Stork Craft baby cribs with drop-down sides.

There have been 110 incidents reported in the US and Canada when the drop-down sides of the crib became detached as a result of poor assembly, wear and tear, or a cracking of the wood. At least four infants have died after becoming entrapped in the mechanism.

There has been talk of banning cribs with drop-down sides altogether, but legislation mandating such a change is far from passage.

Stork Craft is based in Western Canada. The affected cribs were manufactured variously in Canada, China and Indonesia. Of the 2.1 million cribs recalled on November 23, almost 1.25 million were distributed in the US. Among the units recalled are about 147,000 Stork Craft drop-side cribs that bear the Fisher-Price logo and 968,000 cribs distributed in Canada.

It should be noted that not all drop-side cribs are being recalled—just those with plastic hardware and a one-hand system to drop the side rail.

Still, the CPSC is talking about a complete ban of the drop-side feature in cribs, given that this is not the first time drop-side cribs have been recalled. Nearly 5 million drop-side cribs were recalled in the past two years alone, over similar concerns.

The recall includes Stork Craft cribs with manufacturing and distribution dates between January 1993 and October 2009. Stork Craft cribs with the Fisher-Price logo were manufactured between October 1997 and December 2004, and were first sold in the US in July 1998 and in Canada in September 1998. The cribs were sold in various styles and finishes with manufacture date, model number, crib name, country of origin and the firm's name, address and contact information located on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board. The firm's insignia 'storkcraft baby' or 'storkling' is inscribed on the drop-side teething rail of some cribs.

The 'Fisher-Price' logo on Stork Craft cribs can be found on the crib's teething rail, in the manufacturer's instructions, on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board and on the end panels of the 'Twinkle-Twinkle' and 'Crystal' crib models.

The affected cribs were sold in the US and Canada from January 1993 through October 2009 at BJ's Wholesale Club, JC Penney, Kmart, Meijer, Sears, USA Baby and Wal-Mart stores, as well as online at Amazon.com, Babiesrus.com, Costco.com, Target.com and Walmart.com.

The cribs retailed from $100 to $400. Stork Craft has issued a toll-free number: (877) 274-0277 and offers a free repair kit to consumers through the toll-free line, or via the manufacturer's web site.