Hunton Retail Law Resource

July served as another quiet month in the world of recalls. With only 11 recalls issued, July has had the fewest recalls for any month in over a year.

The CPSC made an important announcement this month regarding cedar chests. A company designed cedar chests with lids that automatically lock when closed. The company stopped making the cedar chests in 1987. From 1977 to 2015, 14 children have suffocated to death after climbing into the cedar chests and becoming locked inside. During this time, the company recalled 12 million cedar chests and offered a replacement latch to remedy the defect. Still, the CPSC predicts that millions of these cedar chests remain unfixed in consumers’ homes, posing a continuing danger to children. The CPSC’s announcement served as a plea urging consumers to immediately replace or remove the dangerous latches.

Also this month, a fidget spinner reportedly caused a dangerous car fire in Pennsylvania. The rechargeable fidget spinner equipped with a Bluetooth speaker was charging on the car seat when it malfunctioned, sparking the fire. Luckily, there were no deaths involved. Fidget spinners flooded the consumer toy market last summer and have caused problems ever since, ranging from choking to fire hazards. Hazards posed by the popular toy forced the CPSC to issue business guidance to assist parties in the supply chain about their production, marketing and distribution of fidget spinners.

Total Recalls: 11

Hazards: Fall (3); Fire/Burn/Shock (1); Injury (1); Crash (1); Choke (1); Violation of Child-Resistant Closure Requirements (1); Loss of Communications Capability (1);Violation of Federal Flammability Standard (1); Laceration (1)

Click on the below chart for additional information.