Plastic teething rails on full-sized baby cribs
CPSC Recall #78-063 - July 12, 1978
Recall Summary
| Recall Number | 78-063 |
| Recall Date | July 12, 1978 |
| Remedy Type | Replace |
| Units Affected | About 70,000 - 80,000 |
| Manufacturer | Okla Homer Smith Furniture Manufacturing Co., Inc., of Fort Smith, Arkansas |
Where It Was Sold
| The cribs have been sold under about 180 model numbers by numerous department and baby furniture stores across the country |
| including Sears |
| Roebuck and Co. |
| and Montgomery Ward. |
Product
Plastic teething rails on full-sized baby cribs
Description
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 13) -- Okla Homer Smith Furniture Manufacturing Co., Inc., Ft. Smith, Ark., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), today announced a recall and replacement program for plastic teething rails on about 70,000-80,000 full-sized baby cribs made by the company. The cribs have been sold under about 180 model numbers by numerous department and baby furniture stores across the country, including Sears, Roebuck and Co., and Montgomery Ward. A spokesman for the furniture company said the plastic teething rails may become brittle and pose a potential hazard of cracking when chewed. Broken pieces could be swallowed by a teething infant, become lodged in the windpipe or perhaps injure a baby in other ways. The cribs with the teething rails being recalled can be identified by the label, "OKLA HOMER SMITH FURNITURE MANUFACTURING CO., INC.," on the inside of the headboard near the bottom, and a numerical manufacturing date for the period June 1976 through December 1976, ink-stamped underneath the headboard. Only cribs made in the June-December 1976 timeframe carry the potentially defective teething rails. Since the model numbers are too voluminous to list here, it is important that consumers look for the manufacturer's label and the manufacture date to see if they own one of the cribs. All of the cribs are wooden, and almost all of the teething rails are white, with about one percent being red. The cribs ranged in price from $50-$100. New rail covers can be obtained free-of-charge by contacting the retailer, or Okla Homer Smith at P.O. Box 1148, Ft. Smith, Ark. 72902. Consumers should be prepared to provide their names, addresses, whether the cribs are single- or double-drop-side units, and whether teething rails are present on the end panels. Since the teething rails can crack at any time, anyone owning one of the cribs is entitled to free replacement rail covers even if the teething apparatus currently does not show signs of brittleness.
Hazard
A spokesman for the furniture company said the plastic teething rails may become brittle and pose a potential hazard of cracking when chewed. Broken pieces could be swallowed by a teething infant, become lodged in the windpipe or perhaps injure a baby in other ways.
Remedy Instructions
New rail covers can be obtained free-of-charge by contacting the retailer, or Okla Homer Smith at P.O. Box 1148, Ft. Smith, Ark. 72902. Consumers should be prepared to provide their names, addresses, whether the cribs are single- or double-drop-side units, and whether teething rails are present on the end panels.
What Should You Do?
Stop using this product immediately. Contact the manufacturer for a Replace 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 (Replace) 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.