The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has ruled that e-commerce giant Amazon is legally responsible for the recall of hundreds of thousands of hazardous products sold on its platform.
This decision designates Amazon as a "distributor" of defective or non-compliant consumer goods, thereby bearing the legal obligation for their recall.
Amazon, which reported revenues of $574.8bn in 2023, must now recall more than 400,000 products.
These include faulty carbon monoxide detectors, hairdryers lacking electrocution protection and children's sleepwear that does not meet federal flammability standards.
The carbon monoxide detectors identified include products from WJZXTEK, Zhenzhou Winsen Electronics Technology and BQQZHZ, CBS News has reported.
The federal agency has highlighted that these products, sold on Amazon.com by third-party sellers through the Fulfilled by Amazon programme, present a “substantial product hazard” under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA).
The CPSC said in a statement: “Amazon failed to notify the public about these hazardous products and did not take adequate steps to encourage its customers to return or destroy them, thereby leaving consumers at substantial risk of injury.”
Amazon refuted the ruling before an administrative law judge and the commission, claiming that it is not a distributor and, as such, should not be held responsible for the safety of products sold under its Fulfilled by Amazon programme.
The online retailer intends to appeal and defend its position in court, according to a report from Reuters.
The decision from CPSC follows an administrative complaint it filed against Amazon, forcing the retailer to take responsibility for recalling potentially hazardous products sold on its platform.
In a related development, in July 2024 the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to Amazon for distributing chemical peel drug products that breach the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act.
In June 2024, Amazon faced a proposed class action lawsuit for allegedly monopolising the retail market for audiobooks.
