Did you recently purchase a beach chair at the IKEA store in San Diego on Fenton Parkway? While IKEA can be a great option for purchasing reasonably priced furniture, a recent report from the Newport Beach Patch indicates that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a safety recall of a number of the furniture store’s beach chairs due to the risk of a fall-related injury and the risk of fingertip amputation. To be clear, these chairs have a product defect and can pose an unreasonable risk of injury. If you bought a beach chair at IKEA between February 2013 and December 2016, it is extremely important to learn more about this recall and to take steps to avoid sustaining a preventable personal injury.

How Many Products Have Been Impacted By the Recall?

According to the report, thus far around 33,400 IKEA chairs have been recalled due to the risk of injury. The specific chair that is subject to the recall is the IKEA MYSINGÖ beach chair. They came in a variety of colors, but the chairs have a basic structure in common – they are all foldable and they have a wood base. Each has a polyester fabric seat attached. You can identify the recalled chairs based on the article numbers, which are smaller labels that should be present on the wooden frame of the chair, as well as sewn into the fabric. The following models are subject to the recall:

• Light Red/Blue Striped (article number 902.280.08);
• Red/Blue Striped (article number 302.580.79);
• Solid White (article number 502.851.66);
• Solid Red (article number 802.873.95);
• Solid Green (article number 002.931.40);
• Grey/White Chevron (article number 303.120.24);
• Light Blue/White Chevron (article number 503.5120.23); and
• Light Red/White Chevron (article number 003.120.25).

Severe Personal Injuries Reported from Defective Product

Currently, the furniture company has received 13 different reports of incidents involving the IKEA MYSINGÖ beach chair, and 10 individual reports of personal injuries. In six of those cases, consumers suffered from a fingertip amputation. Three of the reported injuries and one fingertip amputation occurred in the United States. These defective products were sold at IKEA stores, as well as online, between February 2013 and December 2016 for the cost of around $25.

What should you do if you have one of these chairs? First, you should immediately stop using it. Even if you have used it previously and have not been injured, the defects in the chair still could lead to a fall-related injury or a fingertip amputation injury. Next, you should return the chair to IKEA to receive either a full refund or a replacement beach chair. The replacement beach chairs, according to the report, “have plastic stoppers that prevent incorrect re-assembly.” If you are not currently able to bring your chair into a store, you can call IKEA’s toll-free number or visit the company’s website.

Contact a San Diego Product Liability Lawyer

If a defective product caused injuries to you or someone you love, you should speak with a San Diego product liability attorney to learn more about filing a claim for compensation. Contact the Walton Law Firm today to learn more about our services.

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(image from ikea.com)

IKEA is a popular retailer for San Diego residents who are seeking affordable but stylish furniture for their homes. Are IKEA product defects, particularly those implicated in child injuries, a reason to stay away from the store? According to a recent article from Consumerist, IKEA is re-recalling (in other words, recalling for a second time) one of its crib mattresses. What is the problem with the crib mattress? Based on the recall issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the recall is due to the alleged flammability of the mattresses. In previous recalls, the same mattresses posed a risk of entrapment to young children. News of this recall comes on the heels of two other serious IKEA recalls, begging the question: Are IKEA products safe for your kids?

Details of the Mattress Recall

What do you need to know about the product defect identified in a specific group of IKEA mattresses? First, the name of the product is the VYSSA SPELEVINK crib mattress, and the CPSC identified the following hazard in this consumer item: “The crib mattresses fail to meet the federal open flame standard for mattresses, posing a fire hazard.” The mattresses were sold at IKEA stores throughout the country, including the San Diego area, between October of 2010 and May of 2014.

If you purchased one of these mattresses, you should immediately stop using it and return it to an IKEA store. Consumers were previously urged to return this same model due to the serious child injury risks it posed. Specifically, a recall issued by the CPSC detailed how the crib mattresses were constructed in such a way that they “could create a gap between the mattress and crib ends larger than allowed by federal regulations.” Those federal regulations are in place to prevent infants from getting trapped and suffocating.

Yet the crib mattress is not the only consumer issue that IKEA currently faces. The brand has been linked to other products that could pose unreasonable risks to children.

Child Injuries and Consumer Products

In addition to the crib mattresses identified in the recent recall, Consumer Affairs recently reported on a recall of IKEA nightlights due to the risk of electrical shock to kids. The PATRULL nightlights, which were designed in multiple different colors to be used in children’s rooms, were made with a plastic covering that could easily become detached. Once that cover detaches, the electrical components of the nightlight are exposed. One child already suffered an electrical shock injury. Although no other known incidents were reported, it is extremely important for parents to stop using these nightlights.

Shortly before news of the nightlight recall, headlines reported on the defective IKEA “Malm” dressers, which posed an unacceptable tipping risk. Two children died because of the product defect. In all, IKEA recalled 27 million dressers and chest, according to an article in Huffington Post.

When we buy products for use in our homes, we deserve to expect that they will not cause harm to our children. However, injuries caused by defective products do happen. If your child suffers an injury from a defective product, you should discuss your case with a San Diego product liability lawyer as soon as possible. Contact the Walton Law Firm today to learn more about our services.

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