Consumer watchdog sues Amazon to push recall of ‘potentially hazardous’ products

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said it is suing Amazon to push the recall of several products they say are “potentially hazardous.”

In a statement, the consumer agency said the tech giant is legally responsible for recalling the products, claiming many “are defective and pose a risk of serious injury or death to consumers.”

Among the products cited by the CPSC include 24,000 faulty carbon monoxide detectors that fail to alert and children’s sleepwear that violate the flammable fabric safety standard.

“We must grapple with how to deal with these massive third-party platforms more efficiently, and how best to protect the American consumers who rely on them,” said Robert Adler, acting chairman of the CPSC, in a statement.

Amazon could not be immediately reached for comment. In a statement to CNN, Amazon said the company takes quick action when alerted to products with safety issues.

“We are unclear as to why the CPSC has rejected that offer or why they have filed a complaint seeking to force us to take actions almost entirely duplicative of those we’ve already taken,” said Amazon in its statement to CNN.

This is not the first time this year the CPSC has clashed with a company over recalls. In April, Peloton initially resisted a push by the agency to recall some of its treadmills after the CPSC warned owners with small kids and pets to stop using them, citing serious risks including death. Roughly a month later, both the CPSC and Peloton jointly announced voluntary recalls, and the fitness company’s CEO apologized for fighting back against regulators.

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