Evenflo Recalls Top-of-Stair Plus Wood Gates Due to Fall Hazard

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has just announced that they are working in conjunction with Evenflo in regard to a voluntary recall of approximately 183,000 wood gates, used primarily to assist in preventing small children from having access to stairs, where they could fall and sustain serious injuries.  Here is some of the important information in regard to the recall:

Name of product: Evenflo Top-of-Stair™ Plus Wood Gates

Units: About 150,000 in the United States and 33,000 in Canada

Manufacturer: Evenflo Co. Inc. of Miamisburg, Ohio

Hazard: The slats on the gate can break or detach, posing a fall hazard to children.

Incidents/Injuries: Evenflo has received 142 reports of slats breaking and/or detaching from the gate. Three children gained access to stairs. One of those children fell through the gate and down five steps; another fell down one step. Injuries included four children who sustained bumps and bruises to the head and seven children who sustained minor injuries including scratches, scrapes and bruises.

Description: The recall involves Evenflo models 10502 and 10512 Top-of-Stair Plus Wood Gates made from October 2007 through July 2009. The model number can be found on the bottom rail. No other Evenflo model numbers or gates are affected by this recall.

Sold at: Toys “R” Us, Burlington Baby Depot, Kmart and other juvenile product and mass merchandise retailers nationwide in the U.S. and Canada, and on the Web at Amazon.com and other online retailers from October 2007 through March 2010 for about $40.

If you have this product at your home, here is the remedy and consumer contact information:

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled gate and contact Evenflo to obtain a free newer model 10503 or 10513 Top-of-Stair™ Plus Wood replacement gate.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, call Evenflo toll-free at (800) 233-5921 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at safety.evenflo.com