Child Safety Locks Deemed Unsafe

Hundreds of thousands of child safety locks are being recalled because they can fail, exposing children to dangerous situations.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with Dorel Juvenile Group, on Thursday announced a voluntary recall of about 183,000 toilet locks and 685,000 cabinet locks.

Young children can unexpectedly disengage the toilet locks and gain access to water in the toilet, posing the risk of drowning, according to the CPSC, and the cabinet locks are being recalled because young children can disengage the lock, posing the risk of injury from dangerous or unsafe items stored in the cabinet.

Have you had issues with these locks or others not working? Tell us in the comments below.

Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

DJG received 110 reports of toilet locks that did not adequately secure the lid, including eight reports of children, under the age of two, who were able to disengage or break the lock.

In addition, DJG has received 278 reports of cabinet locks that did not adequately secure the cabinet, including 71 reports of children between the ages of eight months and five years old who were able to disengage the cabinet locks. In one of the reported incidents, a 13-month-old boy swallowed small, toxic beads from a craft kit. The child was admitted to the hospital, observed overnight and released the next day.

Recall Details

Model numbers can be found on the back of the locks.

Safety 1st Sure Fit Toilet Locks

• Model Numbers: 48003 and 48103
• Sold: January 2005 through April 2010
• Cost: between $8 and $20

The toilet lock is attached to the tank behind the lid and is intended to prevent a child's access to the toilet bowl.

Safety 1st Cabinet Slide Locks

• Model Numbers: 12013 and 12014
• Sold: January 2000 through March 2009
• Cost: between $2 and $11

The cabinet slide lock is attached to cabinet knobs or handles to prevent access to the contents of the cabinet.

The locks were sold at

• Bed, Bath and Beyond (which has nearby locations in Lawrenceville, Hamilton and North Brunswick)
• Burlington Coat Factory (which has locations in Lawrenceville, Hightstown and North Brunswick)
• Home Depot (which has locations in West Windsor, South Brunswick and East Windsor) 
• Target (which has locations in West Windsor, South Brunswick and East Windsor)
• Walmart (which has locations in West Windsor, East Windsor and Hamilton)

Amazon.com sold both locks through April 2012.

Editor's Note: All information was provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.