Federal Agency Announces Recall of Faulty Furniture Restraint Kits

For immediate release
January 11, 2024

Contact:
Nancy Cowles, KID; nancy@kidsindanger.org; (312) 218-5593
Courtney Griffin, CFA; cgriffin@consumerfed.org; (202) 567-7240

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the recall of plastic furniture tip restraint kits manufactured by New Age Industries. The recalled kit is a zip-tie plastic device that can become weak and break, posing a fatal risk to children and consumers. Furniture companies and importers have used millions of faulty restraint kits since November 2019.

Furniture and television tip-overs are a significant hidden hazard in American homes. Between 2000 and 2021, there have been at least 592 fatalities linked to tip-over incidents, of which 482 were children. An annual average of 19,400 emergency department-treated injuries were associated with tip-over incidents between 2019 and 2021.

After years of hard work by parent advocates and consumer groups, President Biden signed the Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risk Dressers on Youth (STURDY) Act into law in 2022. The STURDY Act, which only addressed clothing storage units like chests, dressers, and armoires, went into effect on September 1, 2023. However, non-compliant clothing storage units made before September 2023 can still be sold in stores and online.

Unfortunately, most homes in America still contain unstable furniture, despite the STURDY Act’s life-saving changes. Parent advocates, consumer groups, and the CPSC have urged consumers to protect against this deadly, hidden hazard by anchoring all furniture, televisions, and appliances. The recall of New Age’s zip-tie plastic kits presents another safety challenge.

“While PAT has always advocated for properly anchoring all furniture with drawers, doors, and shelves to the wall, it has long been a concern of many parent and consumer advocates that there is currently no mandatory testing standard for furniture anchors,” said Kimberly Amato, Vice Chair Parents Against Tip-Overs, who also currently leads efforts at ASTM to update requirements for anchoring devices. “Properly anchoring your furniture to the wall is vital to prevent tip-overs. This recall makes it clear that the type of anchor you use matters. We applaud this recall and strongly encourage all furniture anchor manufacturers to test their anchors for real-world use to ensure they work as intended.”

“If you have any dressers in your home that came with plastic zip-tie type anchors or any furniture currently using this type of anchor, participate in this recall and replace that faulty anchor,” urged Nancy Cowles, Executive Director of Kids In Danger. “And please, if you have any incidents of tip restraints failing or furniture tipping, report it at SaferProducts.gov. Your action will keep other children safe.”

“While an important safety tool, furniture anchoring is underused and imperfect,” says Courtney Griffin, Director of Consumer Product Safety at Consumer Federation of America.  “It is not a consumer’s burden to make furniture safe and stable. This recall is another reminder that companies selling furniture, televisions, and appliances must do everything in their power to prevent tip-over tragedies.”

Consumers should contact Alliance4Safety toll-free at 855-416-7370 anytime or online at www.alliance4safety.org/new-age-recall or www.alliance4safety.org and click on “New Age Recall Information” for more information.

CFA and KID strongly urge consumers to follow the recommendations below to ensure their home is safe:

• Check your furniture, televisions, and appliances! Consumers, especially caregivers, are strongly encouraged to anchor their furniture and televisions to the wall.
• Visit the websites for Parents Against Tip-Overs and CPSC’s Anchor It! campaign for more information about unstable furniture, televisions, and appliances.
• For consumers purchasing new clothing storage furniture, remember that non-compliant furniture manufactured before September 1, 2023, will remain available for purchase. Consumers should ask sellers whether a piece of furniture meets the 2023 version of the ASTM F2057 standard (codified at 16 CFR part 1261).
• Remind friends and family to anchor their furniture and televisions to prevent tragedy.
• Share any incidents of furniture tip-overs or tip-over devices failing with CPSC at SaferProducts.gov.

—
Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is an association of nearly 250 non-profit consumer organizations that was established in 1968 to advance the consumer interest through research, advocacy, and education.

Kids In Danger (KID) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting children by fighting for product safety. Our mission is to save lives by enhancing transparency and accountability through safer product development, better education, and stronger advocacy for children.