By a 3-1 vote, the CPSC voted to file an
administrative complaint saying the Seattle-based e-commerce giant was legally
responsible to recall the products as they posed a serious risk of injury or
death to consumers.
The products included 24,000 carbon
monoxide detectors that failed to go off, nearly 400,000 hair dryers that
lacked required protection against shock and electrocution, and
"numerous" children's sleepwear garments that could catch fire,
according to the CPSC.
"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," CPSC Acting Chairman Robert
Adler said.
The regulator added that Amazon had taken
unspecified actions for some of the products, but it was not enough.
Amazon said in a statement it was
"unclear" why the CPSC rejected its offer to expand its recall
programme, including for products sold by third parties, or sued to force
actions "almost entirely duplicative" of what it had taken.
The company said it had removed "the
vast majority" of the products in question from its store and provided
full customer refunds.
© Reuters