Blumenthal Statement on CPSC Suit Against Amazon Compelling a Recall of Dangerous Products Sold Through Its Platform

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, released the following statement after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the agency filed a lawsuit against Amazon to force the online retailer to recall hazardous products sold on Amazon.com:

“This is a forceful and decisive action by CPSC with a clear message to Amazon and other online marketplaces: knowingly selling dangerous and defective products that imperil Americans will not be tolerated. Amazon must take responsibility for stemming the tide of hazardous products sold through its platform, including its own AmazonBasics car chargers, surge protectors, and microwaves that have caught on fire, exploded, and physically harmed consumers—some of which the company continues to sell to unknowing Americans. As I’ve called on Amazon numerous times, these unsafe products must be immediately recalled and consumers notified to prevent further harms.”

“CPSC must stay vigilant and act swiftly to protect consumers from an ongoing onslaught of hazardous products that remain available for purchase online, and Congress must provide substantial resources needed by this vital agency to effectively perform its critical work.” 

Blumenthal has long led efforts to ensure Amazon conducts recalls and notifies consumers of hazardous products sold through its online marketplace. In September 2020, following an investigative report from CNN, Blumenthal and U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) sent a letter to Amazon CEO and Chairman Jeff Bezos, demanding the company recall and stop sales of dangerous AmazonBasics products, including flaming phone chargers and exploding batteries. The lawmakers sent a letter to CPSC in October 2020, calling for the agency to open a probe into Amazon’s stalling and deflecting on the safety of its AmazonBasics products, and to ensure Amazon works with the agency to recall and notify consumers about hazardous products. In August 2019, Blumenthal, Menendez, and Markey wrote a letter to Amazon after an investigation by The Wall Street Journal found more than 4,000 products for sale on Amazon that were unsafe, deceptively labeled, or banned. The text of that letter is available here.

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