Pennsylvania

Ikea Recalls Malm Line of Dressers Blamed in 3 Toddlers' Deaths

The recall applies to tens of millions of Malm products, according to a report

What to Know

  • 3 toddlers have died since 2014 after Ikea's MALM dressers fell over on them
  • The recall will extend to millions of dressers, some of which were bought 10 years ago
  • About a year ago, Ikea announced a repair program to address the dressers falling onto children

Updated information about the recall can be found here.

Ikea will recall a line of chests and dressers after the deaths of three toddlers in two years, the company confirmed Monday.

The company will offer full refunds or store credit to anyone who ever bought one of its MALM line dressers, and it will also stop selling them, Philly.com reported. The company told NBC News Monday night that it was issuing a recall.

"We are announcing this recall today given the recent tragic death of a third child. It is clear that there are still unsecured products in customers homes, and we believe that taking further action is the right thing to do," Ikea representative Christina Kaiser said in a statement Monday.

The recall will extend to millions of dressers, according to Philly.com, some of which were bought more than 10 years ago. The recall applies to the 27 million products addressed by a 2015 repair program, plus additional units. 

Ikea has confirmed the deaths of three toddlers since 2014 after the furniture maker's Malm dressers tipped over and crushed them — a 2-year-old Pennsylvania boy, a 23-month-old Washington state child and a 22-month-old Minnesota boy. It has also said it received more than a dozen reports of incidents, four of which resulted in injury — and both the furniture maker and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have acknowledged the dressers are dangerous if not properly anchored to a wall.  

Last year, Ikea announced a repair program that offered a free kit to help secure the dressers to the wall. The kit included tip-over restraints, wall anchoring hardware and warning labels to be attached to the furniture. It has distributed 300,000 already, according to a news release.

The recall agreement was expected to be officially announced Tuesday by Ikea and the CPSC, Philly.com reported, citing a source from a federal agency. The CPSC did not comment.

Ikea told NBC News it was no longer selling Malm chests and drawers, and urged families who already own one to anchor them to a wall.

"If they're not, please take them out of a room that children can access because it could be a danger, and make sure that you contact Ikea to (have) a free repair kit sent to your home," Ikea USA president Lars Peterson said.

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