Skip to main content

Kolcraft Agrees to $400,000 Civil Penalty for Failure to Report Defective Play Yards

Release Date: March 11, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that Kolcraft Enterprises Inc., of Chicago, has agreed to pay a civil penalty in the amount of $400,000.

The penalty agreement has been accepted provisionally by the Commission in a 2-1 vote. Commissioner Nord voted to provisionally accept the agreement as originally drafted. Chairman Tenenbaum and Commissioner Adler voted to provisionally accept the agreement with amendments which were included in the final agreement.

In addition to paying a monetary penalty, Kolcraft agrees to implement robust changes to its internal control and compliance systems. Specifically, Kolcraft agrees to:

  • maintain and enforce a system of internal controls and procedures to ensure that the company promptly and accurately reports required information about its products to CPSC;
  • give CPSC staff written documentation of its improvements, processes, and controls related to its reporting procedures upon request;
  • and establish an effective program to ensure it remains in compliance with safety statutes and regulations enforced by CPSC.

 

Kolcraft agrees that, at a minimum, its compliance program must provide its employees with written standards and policies, compliance training, and the means to report compliance-related concerns confidentially.

The settlement resolves CPSC staff allegations that the firm knowingly failed to report to CPSC immediately, as required by federal law, a defect involving Kolcraft Travelin' Tot play yards and play yards manufactured by Kolcraft for Carter's, Sesame Street, Jeep, Contours, Care Bare, and Eric Carle. The play yards were sold nationwide from January 2000 through January 2009 for between $50 and $160. The side rail of the play yards can fail to latch properly and can unlatch unexpectedly when a child pushes against it, posing a fall hazard to children.

In August 2005, failure analysis experts hired by the firm identified the potential for false latching. In 2006, the firm made prospective improvements to the warning labels, instruction sheets, and the side-rail latch to eliminate false latching in future production of the play yards.

From about January 2000 through July 2009, Kolcraft received about 350 reports of the play yard collapsing, resulting in 21 injuries to young children, including bumps, scrapes, bruises, and one concussion.

Kolcraft did not report the information regarding the play yards to CPSC until January 2009.

In July 2009, Kolcraft and CPSC announced the recall of one million play yards.

Federal law requires manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to report to CPSC immediately (within 24 hours) after obtaining information reasonably supporting the conclusion that a product contains a defect which could create a substantial product hazard, creates an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death, or fails to comply with any consumer product safety rule or any other rule, regulation, standard, or ban enforced by CPSC.

In agreeing to the settlement, Kolcraft denies CPSC staff allegations that its play yards contained a defect which could create a substantial product hazard, or that it knowingly violated the reporting requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Act. Pursuant to the Consumer Product Safety Act, CPSC must consider the appropriateness of the penalty in relation to the size of the business of the person charged, including how to address undue adverse economic impacts on small businesses. Kolcraft is a small business as set forth in the Small Business Administration guidelines regarding size of business.

Joint Statement of Chairman Inez M. Tenenbaum and Commissioner Robert S. Adler on the Vote to Approve Provisionally a Civil Penalty Settlement with Kolcraft.

Statement of Commissioner Nancy Nord on the Commission's Provisional Acceptance of a Settlement Agreement with Kolcraft Enterprises, Inc.

 

One of five models of the Kolcraft Travelin' Tot Series

One of five models of the Kolcraft Travelin' Tot Series


 
One of two models of the Contours 3-in-1 Play Yards series

One of two models of the Contours 3-in-1 Play Yards series


 
One of two models of the Sesame Beginnings series

One of two models of the Sesame Beginnings series


 
One of three models of the Carter's Lennon Travelin' Tot series

One of three models of the Carter's Lennon Travelin' Tot series


 
One of eight models of the Jeep Sahara Tot series

One of eight models of the Jeep Sahara Tot series


 
Release Number
13-136

About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products has contributed to a decline in the rate of injuries associated with consumer products over the past 50 years. 

Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.

For lifesaving information:

Media Contact

Please use the below phone number for all media requests.

Phone: (301) 504-7908
Spanish: (301) 504-7800

View CPSC contacts for specific areas of expertise

Report an unsafe product