Chest freezers
Check against the official notice below — it lists the full affected range.
Old chest freezers manufactured before 1970 pose a serious risk of child entrapment and suffocation. These freezers have latches that can trap children inside, and children can suffocate in less than ten minutes once the lid closes. Up to 9 million of these freezers were made between 1945 and 1970 by more than 40 manufacturers before safety standards required freezers to be openable from the inside. Consumers can test whether their freezer is hazardous by attempting to open the lid without using the handle; if the lid only opens by using the handle, it poses a risk.
According to the recall, affected consumers should either properly dispose of non-working freezers immediately or disable the latch if disposal is not possible. Even if a consumer has a pre-1970 chest freezer that is still working, they should call the toll-free number provided to get information on what to do when the freezer eventually stops working.
Written by software from the official notice below. Not reviewed by a lawyer.
Although some manufacturers had freezers that were in compliance prior to the 1970 standards, most old chest freezers have latches that can trap a child. Children playing "hide-and-seek" have found the non-working freezers a deadly place to hide. When the lid closes, children can become trapped inside and suffocate - usually in less than ten minutes.
Consumers should properly dispose of these non-working freezers immediately or disable the latch, if disposal is impossible. Even if a consumer has a pre-1970 chest freezer that is working, they should still call the toll-free number to get information on what to do, when the freezer is no longer working.
The freezers that are part of this program were made before 1970 by more than 40 manufacturers, a number of whom do not exist today. Consumers can determine if their chest freezer poses a hazard by trying to open the freezer without using the handle. If the freezer can be opened by pulling up on sides of the lid, it is not a hazard. If the lid only opens by using the handle, it needs to be properly disposed of or disabled. Up to 9 million chest freezers were manufactured between 1945 and 1970 before voluntary safety standards went into effect, allowing freezers to be opened from the inside. The freezers that are part of this program were made before 1970 by more than 40 manufacturers, a number of whom do not exist today. Consumers can determine if their chest freezer poses a hazard by trying to open the freezer without using the handle. If the freezer can be opened by pulling up on sides of the lid, it is not a hazard. If the lid only opens by using the handle, it needs to be properly disposed of or disabled.
Official record: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ↗
Republished from the official source above; details can change — the source record controls.