Sauder Woodworking Co. Recall of TV/VCR Carts that Can Tip Over Easily, after Baby's Death
NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2004
Release # 04-115
Company Recall Hotline: (888) 800-4590
CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
CPSC, Sauder Woodworking Co. Announce Recall of TV/VCR Carts that Can
Tip Over Easily, after Baby's Death
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC), Sauder Woodworking Co., of Archbold, Ohio, is
voluntarily recalling about 592,000 TV/VCR carts. The carts can tip
over and injure or kill children and adults when the cart and the
television fall.
Sauder Woodworking has received 13 reports of these carts tipping
over. The firm received a report of the death of a 19-month-old girl in
North Wales, Pa., who suffered a fractured skull when the cart and
television fell on her. There were four reports of additional injuries
involving children and adults. One report involved a skull fracture to a
child who recovered and three reports involved bumps and bruises.
These TV/VCR carts were sold in a kit to be assembled by
consumers. They are identical in design and construction, but not color.
One model is a light-colored oak finish and the other model is a dark-
colored cherry finish. The TV/VCR carts are about 29.5-inches wide, 18-
inches deep and 27-inches high. The carts are equipped with a top shelf
intended to support up to a 27-inch television, a middle shelf intended
to hold a VCR and a lower storage area intended to hold VCR tapes and
equipment. The products were provided with shelves for holding VHS
tapes that were to be installed on the inside of the two hinged doors
enclosing the lower storage area. The recalled carts have four removable
casters attached to each bottom corner of the cart. The TV/VCR carts
included in the recall are models 2655 and 2755. The model number is not
on the cart, but it is on the instruction booklet that came with the
cart.
Department, discount and home electronic stores nationwide sold
these TV/VCR carts from January 1993 through December 1999 for about
$100.
Consumers should stop using the TV/VCR carts immediately and do
the following:
Remove the television and all the contents from these carts.
Turn the cart over and remove the four casters from the bottom of the
cart. This will improve the stability of the carts.
Contact Sauder Woodworking Co. to receive a free repair kit that will
further reduce the potential for the cart and television to tip. Do not
use the cart until the repair kit has been installed.
This cart is intended to hold a TV that weighs 95 pounds or less. This
includes most 24-inch and smaller TVs, and may include some 27-inch TVs.
For more information and to order the free repair kit, consumers
should contact Sauder Woodworking Co. toll-free at (888) 800-4590
anytime, or visit the firm's web site at www.sauder.com