Vehicle Safety
Recalls Search 320,000+ NHTSA safety recalls Complaints 2.1M+ consumer safety complaints TSBs 4.7M technical service bulletins VIN Lookup Decode any vehicle VIN instantly OBD Codes 12,000+ diagnostic trouble codes Fuel Economy EPA MPG data for all vehicles Safety Ratings 11,700+ NHTSA crash test ratings Investigations 5,300+ NHTSA defect investigations Statistics Recall trends & safety analysis
Consumer Safety
Product Safety 9,700+ CPSC product recalls Food Safety 28,600+ FDA food recalls Pet Safety 1.3M FDA animal adverse events Drug Safety 17,500+ FDA drug recalls Device Safety 38,400+ FDA device recalls Workplace Safety 102,900+ OSHA injury reports Brand History Cross-category recall lookup by company
Infrastructure
Bridge Safety 624,000 bridge inspections Aviation Safety 30,000+ NTSB aviation events Dam Safety 92,600 dam safety records Water Safety 433,000+ public water systems Railroad Safety 438,000+ rail crossings Pipeline Safety 8,800+ pipeline incidents State Safety Dashboards Safety grades for all 50 U.S. states ZIP Safety Report Check any 5-digit ZIP across 9 datasets
Public Health
Nursing Homes 14,700 CMS rated facilities Environmental 80,000+ hazardous sites & releases
Blog

Vehicle Safety

Vehicle Recalls320,000+ NHTSA safety recalls Browse VehiclesEvery make, model and year Complaints2.1M+ consumer safety complaints TSBs4.7M technical service bulletins VIN LookupDecode any vehicle VIN instantly OBD Codes12,000+ diagnostic trouble codes Fuel EconomyEPA MPG data for all vehicles Safety Ratings11,700+ NHTSA crash test ratings Investigations5,300+ NHTSA defect investigations StatisticsRecall trends & safety analysis Compare VehiclesTwo vehicles side by side

Consumer Safety

Product Safety9,700+ CPSC product recalls Food Safety28,600+ FDA food recalls Pet Safety1.3M FDA animal adverse events Drug Safety17,500+ FDA drug recalls Device Safety38,400+ FDA device recalls Workplace Safety102,900+ OSHA injury reports Brand HistoryRecall lookup by company

Infrastructure

Bridge Safety624,000 bridge inspections Aviation Safety30,000+ NTSB aviation events Dam Safety92,600 dam safety records Water Safety433,000+ public water systems Railroad Safety438,000+ rail crossings Pipeline Safety8,800+ pipeline incidents State DashboardsSafety grades for all 50 states ZIP ReportAny 5-digit ZIP across 9 datasets

Public Health

Nursing Homes14,700 CMS rated facilities Environmental80,000+ hazardous sites & releases BlogGuides, news & safety insights

Children's circular expandable wooden enclosures

CPSC Recall #83-041 - July 12, 1983

Recall Summary

Recall Number83-041
Recall DateJuly 12, 1983
Remedy TypeDispose
Units AffectedApproximately 239,000

Product

Children's circular expandable wooden enclosures

Description

Washington, D.C. -- The Consumer Product Safety Commission in cooperation with the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association today warned consumers that children's circular expandable wooden enclosures may present a potential strangulation hazard to children due to neck or head entrapment in V-shaped openings along the top edge and diamond shaped openings in the sides of the enclosures.Since 1980, the Commission staff has conducted investigations of three deaths and one incident of brain damage involving unsupervised children whose necks became entrapped in the V-openings along the top edge of the enclosures, apparently as they were attempting to climb out of the enclosures. In addition, the staff has investigated or received reports of 4 incidents involving minor or no injuries to children whose heads became entrapped in the diamond shaped openings in the sides of the enclosures.The enclosures are constructed of criss-cross wooden slats riveted together which expand to form continuous circular structures of varying diameters and which are used primarily to restrict the movement of young children to the area within the enclosure. They have been sold nationwide through various retail and children's products stores over the past 15-20 years for approximately $20-$40 per unit.The Commission estimates that approximately 239,000 of the more than 500,000 enclosures produced are presently in use.In the opinion of the CPSC staff, it is dangerous to leave children unattended in the enclosure without close continuous supervision. The Commission is aware of incidents which occurred after children had been left for only a short period of time. This is of particular concern since the enclosures are intended to keep children away from other hazards and consumers may leave children unattended, believing them to be safe.The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association is working to develop a voluntary standard to reduce the possibility of injury associated with enclosures, and manufacturers voluntarily stopped production and sale of the existing style of the enclosures pending development and adoption of the safety standard.In the opinion of CPSC staff, owners of the expandable enclosures should discontinue using them.Anyone wishing additional information may contact the CPSC toll-free Hotline at 800-638-CPSC. The teletypewriter number for the hearing impaired is (800) 638-8270.In contrast, mesh-style baby gates have no opening large enough for a child's head to become entrapped, and CPSC has no reports of deaths or "near-misses" with these baby gates.Accordion-style baby gates have V-shaped and diamond-shaped openings in which children can get their heads trapped. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has reports of 7 deaths and 17 "near-misses" with these baby gates.

Hazard

The children's circular expandable wooden enclosures may present a potential strangulation hazard to children due to neck or head entrapment in V-shaped openings along the top edge and diamond shaped openings in the sides of the enclosures.

Incidents & Injuries

Since 1980, the Commission staff has conducted investigations of three deaths and one incident of brain damage involving unsupervised children whose necks became entrapped in the V-openings along the top edge of the enclosures, apparently as they were attempting to climb out of the enclosures. In addition, the staff has investigated or received reports of 4 incidents involving minor or no injuries to children whose heads became entrapped in the diamond shaped openings in the sides of the enclosures.

Remedy Instructions

Owners of the expandable enclosures should discontinue using them.

What Should You Do?

Stop using this product immediately. Contact the manufacturer for a Dispose at no charge. If you experienced an injury, report it at SaferProducts.gov.

Browse All Product Recalls Recalls by Manufacturer Recalls by Retailer Browse by Hazard Type

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 (Dispose) at no cost to you.

Yes. If you were injured by a defective consumer product, whether recalled or not, you may have grounds for a product liability claim against the manufacturer and potentially the retailer. A recall notice can serve as evidence that the manufacturer was aware of the defect. Injuries that may support a claim include burns, lacerations, fractures, electric shock, choking incidents, and chemical exposure. Most product liability attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless you win. Consult an attorney promptly, as statutes of limitation vary by state.

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.

Back to All Product Recalls