Release Details
Recalled Lane Cedar Chest
Brand name on Lane and Virginia Maid Cedar Chests
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging consumers to immediately replace or remove the latch and lock on recalled “Lane” and “Virginia Maid” brand cedar chests. The cedar chests were recalled because the chest’s lid automatically locks when the lid is closed.
Fourteen children have suffocated to death inside these cedar chests after becoming locked inside between 1977 and 2015. In 1996, The Lane Company recalled 12 million cedar chests with latches that automatically locked the lid when it was closed. CPSC is concerned that millions of these recalled cedar chests remain unfixed in consumers’ homes and continue to pose a danger to children.
United Furniture Industries, Inc. (UFI) of Tupelo, Miss. acquired rights to the Lane brand name in 2017 and is now distributing the free replacement latch and lock to consumers who own the recalled cedar chests.
Consumers who have not received and installed the replacement latch and lock should immediately remove the old latch and lock and contact UFI toll-free at 877-251-5010 and select Option 4, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, leave a message after hours of operation, or send an email to LaneRepair@ufifurniture.com or order the free replacement latch and lock online at https://www.lanefurniture.com/about/product-safety.html.
Once received, the latch and lock should be installed immediately to protect children from becoming trapped inside and suffocating. Consumers who previously received a free replacement latch and lock as part of the recall should verify that the replacement parts are installed.
The old style latches on all “Lane” and “Virginia Maid” brand cedar chests manufactured between 1912 and 1987 should be immediately removed by consumers to eliminate the hazard. Chests can be identified by the brand name “Lane” or “Virginia Maid” located inside the cedar chest. These chests are often handed down through families or purchased second-hand.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to help ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals -– contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at 301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on Twitter @USCPSC or by subscribing to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.
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