Television Carts

CPSC Recall #99-114 — May 23, 1999

Recall Summary

Recall Number99-114
Recall DateMay 23, 1999
Remedy TypeRepair
Units AffectedAbout 2 million

Where It Was Sold

Discount stores
home centers and furniture stores nationwide sold these television carts from March 1989 through September 1998 for about $35 to $49. The carts were sold ready-to-assemble.

Product

Television Carts

Description

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Sauder Woodworking Co., of Archbold, Ohio, is recalling about 2 million television carts. The carts can tip over and injure children and adults when the cart and the television fall. Sauder has received 13 reports of these carts tipping over and the television falling. Two injuries have been reported. A 3-year-old girl suffered a skull fracture, and an adult woman suffered a bump to the head and a cut finger. The television carts being recalled are brown oak (model 5155), black oak (model 5055) or white oak (model 5251). The model number is not on the cart, but it is on the instruction booklet that came with the cart. Most of the carts have the name "Sauder" on the casters or on a metal plate on the inside of the cart's door. The carts measure 29.5 inches wide, 25 inches high with casters and 15.5 inches deep. The carts can hold a television and a VCR. The shelf holding the television swivels, and there is a bottom shelf with hinged double doors. Discount stores, home centers and furniture stores nationwide sold these television carts from March 1989 through September 1998 for about $35 to $49. The carts were sold ready-to-assemble. Consumers should remove their televisions and VCR's from the carts immediately and call Sauder toll-free at (888) 800-4590 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday or access their web site at www.sauder.com. Sauder will help consumers identify if their cart is part of this recall, and send them a free repair kit. The repair kit will help prevent the cart from tipping over. ​

Hazard

The carts can tip over and injure children and adults when the cart and the television fall.

Incidents & Injuries

Sauder has received 13 reports of these carts tipping over and the television falling. Two injuries have been reported. A 3-year-old girl suffered a skull fracture, and an adult woman suffered a bump to the head and a cut finger.

Remedy Instructions

Consumers should remove their televisions and VCR's from the carts immediately and call Sauder. Sauder will help consumers identify if their cart is part of this recall, and send them a free repair kit. The repair kit will help prevent the cart from tipping over. 

What Should You Do?

Stop using this product immediately. Contact the manufacturer for a Repair 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 (Repair) 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.