One million Simplicity cribs recalled after reported deaths

One million Simplicity cribs, some carrying the Graco logo, were recalled today because of a design flaw that led to at least two deaths, seven infant entrapments, and 55 other reported incidents according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Although the cribs were made in China, the problem is not a manufacturing issue, said CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson. "It's a design, directions and hardware problem," he said. "The CPSC is very concerned about the guidance for parents and caregivers about how to assemble the crib as well as the impact of what occurred because of the poor hardware ... and how it put the lives of children at risk," he added. CPSC is warning parents and caregivers to check all Simplicity cribs to make sure the drop-side is installed correctly.

For details and photos, check CPSC's recall notice as well as www.simplicityforchildren.com. If the drop-side is installed upside down or not securely attached, consumers should stop using the crib immediately, the CPSC said. Owners of these cribs should contact Simplicity via its Web site or call 888-593-9274 to receive a retrofit package to address the problem.

The problem: the drop-side of the crib can detach and create a dangerous gap, leading to entrapment and suffocation. The drop-side failures result from both the hardware and crib design, which allows 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. Part of the problem stems from incorrect installation, the CPSC said, but it added it is also aware of two incidents in which the drop-side was correctly installed with older style hardware. Simplicity president Ken Waldman said the company phased in newer hardware over the past two-and-a-half years.

The CPSC said it knows 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. The agency is also investigating the death of a 1-year-old in a Simplicity crib with newer hardware in which the drop-side was installed upside down.

The cribs were sold in department stores, children stores, and mass merchants from Jan 1998 through May 2007 for about $100 to $300. The models include Aspen 3 in 1, which was subject to a previous recall in 2005 because screws on the wooden mattress support could come loose allowing a portion of the mattress to fall, and pose a suffocation hazard to young children. The CPSC knows of one death from that problem, which occurred after the recall: a 19-month-old baby died after two of the mattress support slats came out of his recalled crib. He became entrapped between the mattress and the footboard of the crib and suffocated. And earlier this year, Simplicity recalled 40,000 of its Nursery-in-a-box cribs, which is also in today's recall, because of problems with poor instructions and installation of the drop-side.

Wolfson said the CPSC learned of the latest problems through various sources, including its own investigations. He added that the agency now has an open and active investigation into one of the deaths as well as other actions associated with the company. Wolfson said he could not release details about the deaths at this time—such as when they occurred—because the agency, by law, must receive company approval to release that information.

Waldman, in an interview, said he didn't know when the deaths occurred and a company spokesman said the company would not release more details about the fatalities out of respect for the families.

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.

Parents should check to see if they own one of the recalled cribs. And Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, recommends that owners of any crib currently in use make sure that it is assembled properly, re-secure the hardware every few months and, for the safety of the baby, take everything out of the crib including stuffed animals and bumpers.