Cosco Four-Drawer Dresser
CPSC Recall #96-059 — January 15, 1996
Recall Summary
| Recall Number | 96-059 |
| Recall Date | January 15, 1996 |
| Remedy Type | No Remedy Available |
| Units Affected | Approximately 585,000 |
Where It Was Sold
| Leading department stores and juvenile furniture stores |
| including Wal-Mart and Kmart |
| sold the furniture nationwide since 1991. The chifferobe costs approximately $89 to $109 |
| and the four-drawer dresser costs approximately $79 to $89. The unassembled furniture was packaged in a box labeled in part |
| "Cosco Youth Options." |
Product
Cosco Four-Drawer Dresser
Description
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), two furniture manufacturers are warning consumers that some of their children's bedroom furniture may pose a serious tipover hazard. Ridgewood Inc. of Ontario, Canada, and Charleswood Inc. of Wright City, Mo., sold approximately 585,000 chifferobes (combination dresser/wardrobes) and approximately 309,000 four-drawer dressers under the brand name "Cosco Youth Options." These chifferobes and dressers may become unstable and tip over if heavy objects are placed in the top drawers, several drawers are open at the same time, or a child climbs on the unit. Consumers are urged to remove the feet/glides to greatly reduce the risk of tipover. If the furniture tips over, it could fall on a child, causing serious injury such as fractures, internal injuries, or suffocation. Ridgewood and Charleswood have received reports of one chifferobe tipover and 11 dresser tipover incidents. The chifferobe incident and two of the dresser tipovers allegedly involved serious injuries to children. This warning involves Ridgewood and Charleswood Chifferobe Model Numbers 80813 and 88813; and Four-Drawer Dresser Model Numbers 80413 and 88413. The furniture may have been marketed and sold under the name, "Cosco Youth Options." The white laminated chifferobe, measuring approximately 51 inches high, 46 inches long, and 16 inches deep, consists of a closet along the left side of the unit, and two shelves and three drawers on the right side of the unit. The white laminated four-drawer dresser measures 38 inches high, 30 inches long, and 16 inches deep. Both units are sold with rounded, black, plastic feet/glides, measuring 1.5 inches high, which can be attached to the bottom of the furniture. Leading department stores and juvenile furniture stores, including Wal-Mart and Kmart, sold the furniture nationwide since 1991. The chifferobe costs approximately $89 to $109, and the four-drawer dresser costs approximately $79 to $89. The unassembled furniture was packaged in a box labeled in part, "Cosco Youth Options." For more information, consumers should call the companies' hotline at (800) 314-9327.
Hazard
These chifferobes and dressers may become unstable and tip over if heavy objects are placed in the top drawers, several drawers are open at the same time, or a child climbs on the unit. Consumers are urged to remove the feet/glides to greatly reduce the risk of tipover.
Incidents & Injuries
Ridgewood and Charleswood have received reports of one chifferobe tipover and 11 dresser tipover incidents. The chifferobe incident and two of the dresser tipovers allegedly involved serious injuries to children.
Remedy Instructions
No remedy given
What Should You Do?
Stop using this product immediately. Contact the manufacturer for a No Remedy Available 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 (No Remedy Available) 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.