Simplicity Cribs Offer Repair Kit Following September Recall

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced today that a repair kit is now available to fix the Simplicity and Graco brand cribs that were the subject of a voluntary recall last month. The recall affected over one million units and was due to safety issues with the drop-side option of the cribs, which could detach and create a gap that could suffocate infants. Some models were reported to have inadvertently had the drop-side installed upside down due to problems in the design and the assembly instructions.

The models that are affected by the recall include the Simplicity Crib models Aspen 3 in 1, Aspen 4 in 1, Nursery-in-a-Box, Crib N Changer Combo, Chelsea, and Pooh 4 in 1. Graco models subject to the recall are the Aspen 3 in 1, Ultra 3 in 1, Ultra 4 in 1, Ultra 5 in 1, Whitney and the Trio. These models were sold in stores from January 1998 until earlier this year in May 2007. The costs for the models ranged from $100 to $300. The faulty drop-side has caused three deaths.
The repair kit effectively immobilizes the drop-side feature, as that was determined to be the best way to handle the problem. The drop-sides detach if installed upside down, which will weaken the crib's hardware, according to the Simplicity website. Both older versions and newer versions of the hardware involved in installing the drop-side could easily be installed upside down.

Simplicity Nursery-in-a-Box cribs were the subject of a June 2007 recall for the same upside down installation problem as well as metal locking pins on the drop side that could potentially pop off, creating a choking hazard for babies. In that recall, Simplicity found that incorrect instructions were packaged with the Nursery-in-a-Box cribs. 40,000 units were involved in that July 2007 recall.

If you are not sure about the model name of the crib you can check the model number to see if it is involved in the recall. The model numbers can be found on the envelope attached to the mattress and the label attached to the headboard. The numbers to look for are 4600, 4605, 4705, 5000, 8000, 8324, 8800, 8740, 8910, 8994, 8050, 8750, 8760, and 8996.

Simplicity, Incorporated is also offering coupons for future purchases with the repair kits, which can be obtained by calling (800) 593-9274 or by visiting www.simplicityforchildren.com and registering for the repair kit.

If you know of anyone who may have any of the cribs listed above, please send them this link or tell them to check the Consumer Product Safety Commission Website or call the Commission at (800) 638-2772.

Source: US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Simplicity, Inc.