Sauder recalling 72,300 office chairs

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, November 14, 2012

WASHINGTON — Sauder Woodworking has voluntarily recalled 72,300 office chairs in response to reports of a faulty seat plate that can break and cause a fall hazard.

The company is handling the recall of the Gruga office chairs in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall affects 70,000 of the units sold in the U.S. and another 2,300 sold in Canada.

Some 31 varieties of these chairs are covered by the recall.

The CPSC said the seat plate can break and cause the chair to fall. It said Sauder has received 17 reports of seat plates breaking, two of which involved consumers falling and receiving bumps and bruises.

The chairs, which were made in China, were sold at a variety of retail outlets and online retailers, including Target, Kohls.com and Bestbuy.com, from August 2009 to September 2012. They retail from $79 and $399.

Consumers have been asked to stop using the chairs immediately and can visit www.Sauder.com and click on safety notices to see which chairs are affected. They also can contact Sauder at (888) 800-4590 to order a free replacement seat plate and attachment tool.