The Recall Desk
Our severity:CriticalCPSC·86022·Announced 1986-03-24

Sears Recalls Brawny Bunk Beds Following Second Fatal Accident

Sears is offering free safety modification kits for Brawny bunk beds after a second child died when a mattress assembly fell through the bed frame.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 5/5 (Critical).

Highest-severity recall. The hazard can cause serious injury or death. Stop using the product now and follow the agency's instructions.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly reports two deaths associated with the product, which meets the rubric criterion for a score of 5 (Critical) regardless of other factors.

Plain-English summary

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that Sears, Roebuck and Co. is notifying customers of the availability of a free safety modification kit for Brawny bunk beds. This action follows a second fatal accident involving the product, where a 21-month-old child in Pennsylvania died in September 1985 when a mattress assembly dislodged and fell on him while he was playing under the bed with his brother. The beds were set up as twin beds without cross wires to prevent the mattress from falling through the frame.

A similar incident occurred in December 1983, resulting in the death of a two-year-old boy in Denver. In February 1985, Sears had previously advertised the availability of the modification kit in newspapers and retail outlets. As of the recall announcement, approximately 25,000 of the 112,000 Brawny owners had ordered the kit. Sears plans to use national magazine advertisements and warning posters in its outlets to further notify customers.

The free modification kit consists of four metal cross wires designed to be securely fastened from one side rail to the other on each bed to prevent the mattress assembly from falling. Customers who have a Brawny bunk bed that does not have cross wires securely screwed onto the side rails can obtain the kit by calling 800-831-5551 or visiting their nearest Sears retail or catalog outlet. In Illinois, customers should call 800-323-0366. The kits are shipped free of charge directly from the manufacturer to the consumer.

The recalled product

Product
Brawny bunk bed
Manufacturer
Sears
Category
Consumer Product — Furniture
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same manufacturer · Sears

See all →

Same hazard · fall

See all →

Similar recalls