The Recall Desk
HighCPSC·83034·Announced 1983-06-14

NUK Toothbrush Trainer Sets Recalled for Choking Hazard

Reliance Products Corporation is recalling approximately 96,000 NUK 3-piece Toothbrush Trainer Sets because the rubber tip on the first brush can separate, posing a choking hazard to infants.

What this means for you

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a choking hazard for infants with 14 reported incidents where the tip had to be physically dislodged from throats, but no suffocations or fatalities are reported, fitting the 'High' criteria for risk-of-harm products where injury has not yet been reported as fatal.

Plain-English summary

Reliance Products Corporation, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), is voluntarily recalling approximately 96,000 "NUK" brand 3-piece Toothbrush Trainer Sets. The recall was announced on June 14, 1983. These products were distributed from May 1980 to May 1982 and bear item code #02586 on the top flap of the package. The sets retail for approximately $4.70 and are designed to help train children between 7 and 11 months old in the use of a toothbrush.

The recall is due to a potential choking and/or suffocation hazard. The rubber tip of the first massaging brush in the set can separate from the handle. There have been 14 reported incidents where the tip separated; in some instances, the rubber tip had to be physically dislodged from children's throats. No suffocations have occurred.

Consumers who have purchased the old style Toothbrush Trainer Set should discontinue using the first massaging brush, which is a bullet-shaped tool with soft rubber fins. Consumers should either discard the massaging tool or return it to Reliance Products Corporation at 108 Mason Street, P.O. Box 1220, Woonsocket, RI 82895 for a replacement. The redesigned massaging brush, which has a thin molded ring around the handle to prevent tip removal, is identified by item code #02583. Retailers should remove the old style products from sale and return them to Reliance for a full refund or replacement.

The recalled product

Product
NUK 3-piece Toothbrush Trainer sets
Manufacturer
Reliance Products Corporation
Category
Consumer Product — Toothbrushes
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same hazard · choking

See all →