Target Expands Recall of Defective Step Stools to 547,000
On behalf of Brown & Crouppen, P.C. posted in Defective Products on Tuesday, August 23, 2011
National retail chain Target has announced an expansion of its recall of step stools it sold in its stores from 2007 to autumn 2010. Many of the stools have broken apart while users were standing on them, causing 10 cases of injuries such as broken bones to children and adults. The latest announcement, made in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, brings the total number of recalled step stools to around 547,000.
The defective step stools were sold under the names Circo and Do Your Room. The CPSC said it has received 27 reports of the stools collapsing while in use. One adult user suffered fractures in hip and pelvis, while two others had their wrist broken. Six children have been injured, indicating that it does not take much weight to cause the defective stools to fall apart.
The step stools were sold at Target stores nationwide, including in Missouri, and via the company’s retail web site between January 2007 and October 2010. The two brands came in white, pink, blue, natural, natural and red and honey colors, and retailed for $25 to $30. They were manufactured in China, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The stools were designed to be collapsible for easy storage, with the Do Your Room stool having a fold-down top step and the Circo model having a similar feature on the bottom step.
The CPSC said that consumers who have purchased either step stool should stop using it immediately due to the injury hazard. Consumers may bring their defective stools back to their nearest Target store for a full refund.
Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune, “Recalled step stool sold by Target has left some users with broken bones,” Paul Walsh, Aug. 23, 2011