Amazon responsible for more than 400,000 hazardous products sold by third-party sellers, CPSC finds

Amazon is responsible for recalling more than 400,000 hazardous products sold by third-party sellers on its website, the Consumer Product Safety Commission found.

The CPSC issued a decision and order against the company Tuesday, finding that Amazon was a “distributor” of products that were defective or failed to meet federal consumer product safety standards.

The products, listed on Amazon’s website and sold by third-party sellers, include faulty carbon monoxide detectors, hair dryers without electrocution protections, and children’s sleepwear that violated federal flammability standards.

The CPSC found that the products pose a “substantial product hazard” under the Consumer Product Safety Act. Amazon failed to notify the public or take adequate steps to encourage customers to return or destroy them, putting consumers at risk, the agency said.

The CPSC sued Amazon in 2021, alleging that the company acted as a distributor of certain hazardous products.

Amazon did not contest that the products posed a hazard but argued it was not a distributor and therefore was not responsible for taking actions to protect the public, the CPSC said.

The e-commerce giant also claimed that sending messages to consumers about “potential” safety issues and providing them with Amazon credits was enough to remedy the hazards.

Under Tuesday’s decision and order, Amazon must submit plans to notify the public about the hazardous products and to remove them from commerce “by incentivizing their return or destruction,” according to the CPSC.

A spokesperson for Amazon told NBC News the company plans to appeal the commission’s decision.