Ikea Recalls 29 Million Dressers & Chests After 6 Kids Killed

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NEW YORK (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - Ikea is recalling 29 million chests and dressers after six children were killed when the furniture toppled over and fell on them.

The company says that all chests and dressers should be attached to a wall to prevent them from toppling over. Ikea says anyone who owns a chest or dresser that is not mounted to a wall should remove them out of reach from children.

For years Ikea has been under increased pressure to do more about the Malm brand products but had always stopped short of recall. Last year, instead of a recall, Ikea launched an ad campaign warning customers of the dangers of falling furniture. They also distributed 300,000 anchoring kits designed to secure the dressers to a wall.

But following the latest death, of a 22-month-old child earlier this year, the company is changing direction. In a statement, the Swedish retail giant said:

"We are announcing this recall... 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."

Ikea is offering free kits to attach the chests and dressers to a wall. Customers can also ask the company for a refund, if their chest or dresser was manufactured between January 2002 and June 2016. The recalled Malm chests were sold for between $70 and $200.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says that at least six children, all of whom were 3-years-old or younger, were killed when an Ikea chest or dresser fell on them.

CPSC data show that a child dies every two weeks and a child is injured every 24 minutes in the U.S. from furniture or TVs tipping over.

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