Hedstrom Swing Seats Recalled for Laceration Risk from Open Hooks
Hedstrom and Sears swing seats are recalled because open bracket hooks caused serious lacerations to children. Consumers should close hooks until metal touches.
What this means for you
Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).
The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.
Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that the defect caused 'serious lacerations' and lists 18 reports of injuries to children, which aligns with the rubric criterion for 'significant injury reports' (Score 4).
Plain-English summary
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Hedstrom Corporation announced a voluntary recall of approximately two million sling-type swing seats. These seats were sold nationally over the past six years as part of Hedstrom and some Sears swing sets, or separately as replacement seats. The recall addresses a safety issue where the "V"-shaped brackets that attach the seat to the swing chains may not be completely closed.
The open hook ends of these brackets have caused serious lacerations to children, including injuries to the leg, arm, face, and groin. The company received 18 reports of such injuries. Although installation instructions indicated that hooks should be completely closed, incidents occurred when the metal did not touch.
Consumers should check their sling seats for "V" bracket hooks that are not completely closed and close them until the metal touches. The Hedstrom Corporation is out of business, and the previously offered free bracket guard kits to cover the hook ends are no longer available.
The recalled product
- Product
- Hedstrom swing set sling-type swing seats
- Manufacturer
- Sears
- Category
- Consumer Product — Swing Sets
- Hazard
Distribution
Distributed nationwide across the United States.
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