Portable Basketball Hoops
CPSC Recall #02-247 — September 8, 2002
Recall Summary
| Recall Number | 02-247 |
| Recall Date | September 8, 2002 |
| Remedy Type | Inspect, New Instructions |
| Units Affected | About 70,000 |
Where It Was Sold
| Sporting good |
| department and toy stores sold the Huffy-brand portable basketball systems from November 2001 through May 2002 for between $100 and $200. |
Product
Portable Basketball Hoops
Description
WASHINGTON, D.C. - As children and adults perfect their lay-ups in driveway basketball courts across the country, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announces another recall of portable basketball hoops. In cooperation with the CPSC, Huffy Sports Company, of Sussex, Wis., is recalling about 70,000 portable basketball systems. The basketball hoops can have a sharp protruding bolt on the player's side of the pole that can cause serious leg or body lacerations to consumers. Basketball players can be cut when they collide with the pole as they drive toward the basket or when they fall or are pushed into the pole.CPSC and Huffy Sports have received 11 reports of injuries from protruding bolts that include scrapes and lacerations. Ten consumers required stitches for their injuries. These are portable, vertically mounted Huffy-brand basketball systems that come unassembled with a plastic base that is weighted down by either sand or water that is added during assembly. The basketball poles are painted black and the Huffy brand name appears on the backboard, main pole, or plastic base. The protruding bolt on the player side of the pole is located about 20-inches from the ground. Sporting good, department and toy stores sold the Huffy-brand portable basketball systems from November 2001 through May 2002 for between $100 and $200.Consumers should examine their units immediately. If there is a protruding bolt in the area of play, contact Huffy Sports to receive free bolt covers. Consumers can contact Huffy Sports at (800) 558-5234 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CST Monday through Friday.
Hazard
The basketball hoops can have a sharp protruding bolt on the player's side of the pole that can cause serious leg or body lacerations to consumers. Basketball players can be cut when they collide with the pole as they drive toward the basket or when they fall or are pushed into the pole.
Incidents & Injuries
CPSC and Huffy Sports have received 11 reports of injuries from protruding bolts that include scrapes and lacerations. Ten consumers required stitches for their injuries.
Remedy Instructions
Consumers should examine their units immediately. If there is a protruding bolt in the area of play, contact Huffy Sports to receive free bolt covers.
What Should You Do?
Stop using this product immediately. Contact the manufacturer for a Inspect, New Instructions at no charge. If you experienced an injury, report it at SaferProducts.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Follow the consumer action instructions in the recall notice above. Most recalls require you to stop using the product and contact the manufacturer directly — either by calling the toll-free number listed in the official CPSC notice or by visiting the manufacturer's website. You generally do not need a receipt or original packaging to claim a remedy. The manufacturer is legally required to provide the remedy (Inspect, New Instructions) at no cost to you.
Furniture tip-overs are a leading cause of pediatric injuries in the U.S., particularly dressers, bookcases, and television stands. CPSC data shows that a child dies approximately every two weeks from a furniture or TV tip-over. Unstable high chairs, baby swings, and bouncers are also frequent recall subjects due to fall risks. ASTM International standards now require that certain furniture must meet tip-over resistance standards, and CPSC has been actively pursuing mandatory requirements for dressers and chests. If you have furniture that was not recalled but feels unstable, wall-anchoring kits are widely available at hardware stores.
In most cases, no. CPSC-coordinated recall remedies are designed to be accessible without proof of purchase. Manufacturers typically ask consumers to self-certify ownership and may ask for photos of the product or its serial number. Some manufacturers request that you mail in a portion of the product (such as a cut cord or removed component) as proof of disposal. Check the specific remedy instructions for this recall for exact requirements. If you registered your product at the time of purchase, the process is usually even simpler.
If the original manufacturer has gone out of business, the recall remedy may no longer be available through them. In this case, contact CPSC directly at 1-800-638-2772 or cpsc.gov for guidance. If the brand was acquired by another company, the acquiring company may have assumed recall obligations. In some cases where a remedy is unavailable, CPSC advises consumers to safely dispose of the product. If you were injured by the product of a defunct company, consult a product liability attorney — parent companies, distributors, and retailers may still bear liability in some circumstances.