Walmart Dresser Recall Warns of Tip-Over Risk for Millions of Units

A 2017 Walmart dresser recall was announced following reports that the dresser may be at risk for tip-over incidents.

In September 2017, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a Walmart dresser recall of around 1.6 million dresser units. The Walmart dresser recall affected Ameriwood Mainstay’s four drawer dresser units. The models were sold at Walmart online and retail locations between April 2009 and May 2016. The Ameriwood Mainstay’s dresser retailed for around $60 and was available in a variety of colors including alder, black forest, white, weathered oak, walnut and ruby red.

The Mainstays dresser reportedly poses “serious tip-over and entrapment hazards that can result in death or injuries to children”, especially when the unit is unmounted to a wall. The CPSC has also said that the dresser fails to comply with the performance requirements of the U.S. voluntary industry standard.

The defect associated with the Mainstays dresser has allegedly lead to one reported injury, in which the dresser tipped over onto a four year old child.

“Consumers should immediately stop using any recalled chest that is not properly anchored to the wall and place it into an area that children cannot access,” the CPSC said in their announcement of the Walmart dresser recall.

Consumers can see if their model was affected by the Walmart dresser recall by looking for one of these model numbers: 5412012WP, 5412301WP, 5412328WP, 5412015WY, 5412301WY, 5412012PCOM, 5412015PCOM, 5412026PCOM, 5412213PCOM, 5412214PCOM, 5412301PCOM, 5412317PCOM, or 5412328PCOM. Model numbers can be located in the dresser’s instruction manual.

Tip-over accidents often occur when small children attempt to scale the piece of furniture. Although there are industry standards to ensure that furniture can weather these potential issues, some of the requirements are voluntary – meaning that manufacturers can choose to meet them if they want to but are not required by law.

Rachel Rothman, the Chief Technologist at the Good Housekeeping Institute, recommends avoiding tip-over accidents by “installing drawer latches on all dresser and bureau drawers to prevent children from climbing and possible subsequent entrapment underneath if furniture tips over.”

“It’s best to attach big pieces directly into wall studs with brackets. And be mindful to never place heavy items atop cabinets to avoid them ever falling off.”

As a part of the Walmart dresser recall, Ameriwood is offering a free repair kit to consumers who purchased the dresser. The repair kit includes a wall anchoring device and feet which together may stabilize the dresser and prevent tip-over accidents.

However, some consumers argue that the manufacturer marketed their dressers to induce reasonable consumer to believe that were safe. Most reasonable consumers assume that, when they purchase a piece of furniture, it meets all of the necessary safety requirements and will not pose a risk to them or their families with regular use.

In light of the Walmart dresser recall, many consumers are realizing that they purchased a defective product instead of what they believed they were paying for. These consumers may be able to take action and recover compensation.

Join a Free Walmart Dresser Tip Over Recall Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you purchased a Mainstays dresser from Walmart.com or in a Walmart store that was part of a tip over hazard recall, you may be entitled to compensation.

Learn More