Ikea's cheap, cheery Malm dressers are a mainstay of college dorm rooms and small apartment bedrooms around the country. But these dressers also have a dark side: they easily tip over, a design flaw which has led to the death of three toddlers in less than two years.
Now, in an unprecedented move, Ikea is recalling the Malm line of dressers, as well as other models of dressers that tip over too easily, going back a decade. Some 29 million dressers are eligible, and while Ikea has yet to announce full details of the program, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that customers will be offered full refunds, while customers who want to keep their products will have repair crews sent to their house.
The recall follows the death of Ted McGee, a 22-month-old boy who in February became the third child to be crushed to death by a Malm dresser in two years. Before McGee's death, Ikea had responded to their dressers' stability issues by offering free wall anchoring kits, but did not offer refunds, or make changes to the design of their dressers.
"We are announcing this recall today given the recent tragic death of a third child. It is clear that there are still unsecured products in customers' homes, and we believe that taking further action is the right thing to do," the company said in a statement on Monday.
We've reached out to Ikea for comment, and will update this story when we hear back, along with official details of the recall when it is announced. But if you have kids in your house, maybe now's a good time to consider shopping somewhere else besides Ikea?