Ikea recalling 29 million chests, dressers after 6 children's deaths

(WTXF/AP) - Ikea is recalling 29 million of its popular MALM dressers after the furniture toppled over and fell onto six children, 3 years old or younger, killing them.

The company said the chests and dressers should be attached to a wall to prevent them from toppling over, and anyone who owns a chest or dresser that is not mounted to a wall should remove them out of reach from children.

Last year - specifically July 22, 2015 -- the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a repair program that included a free wall anchoring kit for several Ikea products: its MALM 3- and 4-drawer chests and two styles of MALM 6- drawer chests, and other chests and dressers.

At that time, IKEA had received reports of two children killed -- including a 2-year-old in West Chester -- when MALM chests tipped over and fell on them. It urged consumers to stop using all IKEA children's chests and dressers taller than 23 ½ inches, and adult chests and dressers taller than 29 ½ inches, unless they were securely anchored to the wall using the wall anchoring kit.

Now, the store will offer full refunds or store credit to anyone who has purchased the furniture.

IKEA North America is based in Conshohocken.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) put out this statement:

"I am thankful that IKEA and the CPSC heard the message of our letter and are taking actions that will make kids across the country safer," Casey said. "While this is a positive development this battle is by no means over. The facts are clear: far too many children are exposed to unsafe furniture that can easily tip over. What is needed is a strong federal safety standard that can give parents the peace of mind they deserve. We must continue to push for passage of our legislation to put clear, mandatory safety standards in place.

‎"After a 22-month old from Apple Valley, Minnesota was killed by a falling Malm dresser, we called on the Consumer Product Safety Commission and IKEA to take action to prevent further injuries and deaths," said Klobuchar. "While today's announcement won't bring back the children who tragically lost their lives to tip-overs, it will hopefully prevent future tragedies by taking this dresser off the market and leading to greater public awareness. No family should live in fear that their child could be severely injured or even killed by a preventable tip-over of household furniture.

"This recall is long overdue and will help prevent tragic tip-over accidents that have already taken the lives of three toddlers. I, along with my colleagues in the Senate, sent letters urging IKEA and the CPSC to stop selling these dressers and provide an appropriate remedy for consumers. I'm glad that our efforts have finally led to meaningful action," Schakowsky said. "While this recall is an important step forward, we must do more to address the risk of furniture tip-overs. I will continue fighting for legislation that keeps children safe and protects families from future tip-over tragedies."