text: Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE Ikea's new repair program is considered a recall, but consumers aren't supposed to return the furniture. Instead, they should order or pick up a new free wall anchoring kit for the affected chests and dressers. USA TODAY 
   
   This IKEA chest is part of the repair program that includes free anchoring kits to secure the furniture to the wall. (Photo: CPSC) 
   
   Ikea is recalling about 27 million chests and dressers because they can tip over and crush children if they aren't anchored to the wall, the retailer and the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Wednesday. 
   
   Two children died after Ikea's Malm chests fell on them in 2014. Ikea says it knows of reports of three additional deaths since 1989 from tip-overs involving other models of Ikea chests and dressers. 
   
   While Ikea's new repair program is considered a recall, consumers aren't supposed to return the furniture. Instead, they should order or pick up a new free wall anchoring kit for the affected chests and dressers. Consumers should move unanchored chests and dressers into storage or other areas where they cannot be accessed by children until the chests and dressers are properly anchored. 
   
   Patty Lobell, Ikea's U.S. commercial manager, said in a statement that the company is "deeply saddened" by the deaths and hopes "our efforts prevent further tragedies.” 
   
   Furniture and TV tip-overs have been a top concern at CPSC for several years. A child dies every two weeks and one is injured every 24 minutes in the U.S. from furniture or TVs tipping over, according to CPSC data. 
   
   In an interview Wednesday, CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye called on the entire industry to make more stable furniture — and for Ikea to lead the way considering their "big market share." 
   
   "Today is a positive step, and I commend Ikea for taking that step," Kaye said. "But they need to do more and to make more stable furniture and they need to help lead industry." 
   
   Ikea is known for its low-priced, low-frills furniture. In Sweden, where it is based, Kaye says the company meets Europe's more stringent voluntary safety standard, which states furniture units need to be anchored to walls. 
   
   CPSC did work with the U.S. standard-setting body in 2014 to update the furniture stability standard, but Kaye says it's still "much fuzzier" than Europe's. 
   
   It isn't realistic to expect consumers with small children to anchor all large chests, in part because many can't do it because they live in rental units or there are other issues with their walls, Kaye says. And "plenty of parents don’t know about the issue," making it far more important for industry to make what could be very inexpensive design changes, he says. 
   
   Ikea spokeswoman Mona Liss said they company will "continue to collaborate with the CPSC to find solutions for more stable furniture." 
   
   "We don’t know yet what those solutions will be, but we are committed to working in collaboration to try to find better solutions," she said. 
   
   In February 2014, a 2-year-old boy from West Chester, Pa., died after a Malm six-drawer chest tipped over and fatally pinned him against his bed. A nearly 2-year-old child from Snohomish, Wash., died in June of last year after he became trapped beneath a three-drawer Malm chest that tipped. Neither chest was secured to the wall. 
   
   Ikea and CPSC also have 14 reports of tip-over incidents involving Malm chests that led to four injuries. Since 1989, Ikea is aware of three other reports of deaths from tip-overs involving other Ikea chests and dressers. 
   
   The American Home Furnishings Alliance, which represents more than 200 large furniture manufacturers and importers, has been active in efforts to improve safety measures to reduce the number of furniture tip-over accidents, says spokeswoman Jackie Hirschhaut. 
   
   "The AHFA, through the work of its members, is engaged in exploring improved product safety methods through innovations in materials and technology," she says. 
   
   About 7 million Malm chests and 20 million other Ikea chests and dressers are part of this nationwide repair program. 
   
   The Malm chests were sold starting in 2002 and ranged from about $80 to $200. 
   
   To receive a free wall-anchoring kit, consumers can visit an Ikea store, register at www.IKEA-USA.com/saferhomestogether, or call toll-free at 888-966-4532. 
   
   Ikea's Lobell said the retailer "is committed to helping raise the awareness of this serious home safety issue and to continue to provide consumers with the tools and knowledge they need to prevent these accidents." 
   
   Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1MI2jyA ||||| Theodore "Ted" McGee died Feb. 14 when a bureau in his Apple Valley, Minn., bedroom tipped onto him, according to the family's lawyers. 
   
   Theodore "Ted" McGee died Feb. 14 when a bureau in his Apple Valley, Minn., bedroom tipped onto him, according to the family's lawyers. 
   
   Federal safety regulators are investigating the death of a Minnesota toddler crushed by an Ikea dresser in February, seven months after the retailer disclosed millions of its dressers are at risk of falling forward if not properly stabilized. 
   
   Theodore "Ted" McGee died Feb. 14 when a bureau in his Apple Valley, Minn., bedroom tipped onto him, according to the family's lawyers. His parents thought the 22-month-old was napping. 
   
   "They didn't hear the dresser fall," attorney Alan Feldman said. "They didn't hear Ted scream." 
   
   Ikea and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are reviewing McGee's death, according to representatives at both. 
   
   Scott Wolfson, spokesman for the commission, called it a "tragic tip-over fatality" but declined to discuss the investigation, citing a federal law that bars the agency from disclosing details of such reviews without the company's consent. 
   
   Last July, the commission and Ikea publicly acknowledged the company's dressers can become dangerously unstable if not attached to a wall. In a release, they said two children, including a West Chester 2-year-old, had died since 2014 when Ikea Malm dressers toppled onto them. Ikea also announced plans to send anchoring kits to any customers who requested them. 
   
   The so-called repair program - a type of recall - affected 27 million dressers, including seven million Malm units, a popular line that ranges in price from $46 to $179. In August, the Canadian government issued a similar recall affecting about six million more Ikea dressers. 
   
   The Swedish retailer, whose U.S. headquarters are in Conshohocken, says it has since sent more than 300,000 anchoring kits to consumers. It also launched a campaign to alert the public of the danger and remind consumers to attach their furniture to the wall. 
   
   In a statement to the Inquirer, safety commission chairman Elliot Kaye said the agency expected companies to remain vigilant, even after a recall. 
   
   "Without commenting on any specific case, companies are now on notice that even if there has been a public announcement about a remedy to address a dangerous product, the company must take every possible step to prevent further harm," he said. "This is especially the case when a child dies. Companies need to move fast and work with us on a comprehensive plan that offers their customers every necessary measure required for the sake of safety. I expect companies to truly put safety first." 
   
   Tip-overs, most involving unsecured dressers and televisions, lead to dozens of deaths and more than 38,000 emergency-room visits in the United States each year, experts say. 
   
   Ted McGee's parents didn't know the risk and never heard about the Ikea campaign, their lawyers said. 
   
   That had been a concern of safety advocates, who questioned why federal regulators and Ikea promoted the action as a "repair program" instead of labeling it a recall. Some argued doing so lessened the impact, since the word recall carries more weight with consumers. Advocates also stressed that including anchoring hardware with dressers - as Ikea long has - isn't enough, since many consumers don't realize the threat or attach the restraints. 
   
   Jeremy and Janet McGee bought their dresser in 2012, before their son was born. Both had children from previous marriages, but Ted was their first child together. 
   
   After putting him down for a nap that day, Janet McGee checked on her son about every 20 minutes, according to an Apple Valley police report reviewed by the Inquirer. On one visit, it said, she opened the door and saw her son's empty bed but expected to find Ted hiding in the room, as he often did when he was supposed to be napping. 
   
   Instead, she saw the tall, six-drawer dresser on the floor, toppled onto her son, the report said. First responders could not resuscitate the boy. Mann and Feldman said they were preparing a lawsuit against Ikea in connection with Ted McGee's death. They have already filed lawsuits on behalf of the families of the two other children who the safety commission said died in Malm tip-overs. 
   
   Curren Collas, the West Chester toddler, died in February 2014. His mother found him pinned between his toppled six-drawer Ikea dresser and his bed frame. 
   
   Camden Ellis, a 2-year-old from Snohomish, Wash., died four months later beneath a smaller, three-drawer Malm dresser. His parents said it happened on one of the first nights he slept in a toddler bed instead of a crib. 
   
   Believing other families have been affected by Ikea furniture tip-overs, the attorneys have launched a website - www.furniture-tip-over-accidents.com - hoping to hear from consumers. They also want Ikea to issue a recall that includes buying back its dressers and replacing them with ones that are more stable. Feldman called the repair program inadequate. 
   
   "How many kids should we sacrifice simply because this is a product that has some utility and that people will buy because it's inexpensive furniture?" he said. 
   
   Ikea spokeswoman Mona Astra Liss, in a statement, offered condolences to the McGee family. She said that product safety was Ikea's highest priority and that the company immediately notified the safety commission after learning of Ted McGee's death. 
   
   "Ikea has been advised that the product was not attached to the wall, which is an integral part of the product's assembly instructions," she said. "We wish to emphasize that the best way to prevent tip-over of chests of drawers is to attach products to the wall with the included restraints and hardware per the assembly instructions." 
   
   Liss said the company plans to expand its campaign "to ensure that this important message reaches even more people," but she did not elaborate. 
   
   Wolfson, the safety commission spokesman, reiterated its concerns about unanchored Ikea furniture. 
   
   "It just takes a few minutes to save a life," he said, urging consumers to get and attach the restraints. "Because we would be deeply concerned if a family had that dresser readily accessible to children before it is actually repaired." 
   
   tnadolny@phillynews.com 
   
   215-854-2730 @TriciaNadolny ||||| IKEA announced the recall of 29 million dressers on June 28, 2016. The recall comes as the company faces lawsuits after the deaths of at least three children who were tragically killed when IKEA dressers overturned on them. 
   
   The attorneys at Feldman Shepherd are leading the fight against IKEA on behalf of these innocent victims. If your child has been harmed or killed, we can help you seek justice. Contact us at (844) 480-0100 or by filling out the form on this page to find out what we can do for your family.
target: – Another Ikea dresser has apparently toppled over and killed a young child. Theodore "Ted" McGee was 22 months old when the unstable dresser fell and crushed him while he was napping on Feb. 14 in Apple Valley, Minn., his family's lawyers tell the Philadelphia Inquirer. His parents "didn't hear the dresser fall," says attorney Alan Feldman. "They didn't hear Ted scream." The accusation is swinging a spotlight back on Ikea, which started a program last July to help stabilize 27 million dressers after a toddler and a 2-year-old were crushed to death under similar circumstances. Under the "repair program," Ikea issued warnings and offered to send anchoring kits to customers who requested them, USA Today reported at the time. But Ted McGee's parents had never heard about the danger or Ikea's program, their lawyers say. Janet and Jeremy McGee bought the dresser specifically for Ted, their first child after each had kids in earlier marriages. On the day Ted died, Janet was checking on him and noticed his empty bed, but figured he was just hiding somewhere during nap time. That's when she found his lifeless body under the fallen six-drawer dresser. Now the family's lawyers—who have already sued Ikea for the other two families and started a website about the crisis—are readying a lawsuit for the McGees. Ikea has offered the McGee family condolences but reminds them that anchoring the product "is an integral part of the product's assembly instructions." Federal safety regulators are investigating the case.