Cribs from a cribmaker that went out of business at least five years ago were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission today. The agency has learned of three deaths and multiple injuries attributed to the cribs. All Generation 2 Worldwide and “ChilDesigns” drop-side cribs have been recalled and families are strongly advised to stop using them.

Problems with the cribs date back at least eight years when a six-month-old from Staunton, Va. suffocated when he became entrapped between the drop side and crib mattress. The lower drop-side track was missing two screws which allowed it to pull away from the headboard post and detach. In  2003, an eight-month-old child from Richmond, Ind. suffocated when he became entrapped between the drop side and the crib mattress. The plastic hardware on the drop side was broken and allowed the drop side to detach from the crib headboard in one corner. And in July 2007, an eight-month-old child from Newark, Ohio suffocated when he became entrapped between the drop side and the crib mattress. The drop side of his crib had detached due to a broken plastic stop tab on the lower track.

The CPSC has also received reports of 20 other drop-side incidents, 12 of which involved the drop side detaching in a corner of the crib. In two of the incidents, a child became entrapped. One child suffered bruising from the entrapment. There are five reports of children falling out of the cribs due to drop-side detachment. One child suffered a broken arm as a result of the fall.

The cribs are faulty with plastic hardware that can break causing the drop side to detach from a corner of the crib affecting the mattress supports in some cases. The CPSC has received 8 reports of mattress support detachment in these cribs. Three children became entrapped between the crib frame and the sagging mattress and four children crawled out of the crib. There was one report of cuts and bruises.

Because Generation 2 went out of business in 2005, the CPSC has limited information about the cribs including how many were sold and over what period of time. The agency believes that more than 500,000 cribs were sold. The recall notice lists some model numbers but emphasizes that all Generation 2 Worldwide and “ChilDesigns” drop-side cribs are included in the recall.

The recalled cribs were sold at numerous furniture and retail stores including Buy Buy Baby, Kmart and Walmart nationwide for between $60 and $160. Consumers should contact the store from which they purchased the crib for a remedy, which may vary from a refund, replacement crib or store credit, depending on the retailer. Consumers are urged to contact the CPSC and report any difficulties in obtaining a remedy from their place of purchase.