More than 5 million above-ground swimming pools have been pulled from the market due to a heartbreaking safety flaw. This recall, spanning products sold since 2002, comes after devastating reports of young lives lost to drowning hazards.
According to Fox Business, the recall targets Bestway, Intex, and Polygroup pools standing 48 inches or taller, which were sold at major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon. The issue lies in compression straps around the pool’s support poles that can act as footholds, allowing unsupervised children to climb in and face grave danger.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has tied nine tragic drownings to these footholds, involving children aged 22 months to 3 years, across states like California, Texas, and Florida. These incidents, occurring between 2007 and 2022, expose a design oversight that has lingered far too long in backyards nationwide.
For over two decades, these pools have been marketed as family-friendly fun, yet the compression straps have turned them into silent traps. The CPSC notes that even removing the ladder doesn’t prevent access, as kids can still use the straps to scale the sides.
Nine young children paid the ultimate price for this flaw, with incidents spanning a 15-year period. It’s a stark reminder that safety standards must evolve faster than the marketing of seasonal products.
Retail giants like Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Costco, alongside online platforms like Amazon, have distributed these pools, including about 266,000 units in Canada. The scale of this recall shows how widespread the risk has become in communities everywhere.
The companies involved, Bestway, Intex, and Polygroup, issued a joint statement claiming they’ve been working with the CPSC since 2023 to update safety standards. They noted, “The updated standard was finalized in May 2025 and aims to prevent unsupervised children from gaining a foothold.”
While it’s commendable that most pools sold today address this concern, the fact remains that millions of older models still pose a threat. Waiting until a standard is finalized shouldn’t be the benchmark when lives are at stake.
Their assurance that changes will now apply to all affected pools sold since 2002 feels like a belated patch on a gaping wound. Proactive design, not reactive recalls, should be the priority for industries handling products meant for families.
The CPSC urges consumers to contact the manufacturers for a free repair kit, which includes a rope to replace the hazardous compression strap. Until the fix is in place, they advise draining the pool or ensuring children cannot access it without supervision.
This solution, while practical, puts the onus on parents to act swiftly amidst already busy lives. It’s a Band-Aid for a problem that should have been caught at the design stage, not after years of sales.
Brand names and model numbers are printed on the pool liners, making it easy to check if your product is part of this recall. Given the stakes, taking a moment to verify could be the difference between safety and sorrow.
As this recall unfolds, it’s clear that regulatory oversight and corporate responsibility must tighten up to prevent such tragedies. Nine young lives lost over 15 years isn’t just a statistic; it’s a failure that demands answers and action.
Families deserve products that prioritize safety over profit, not retroactive fixes after the damage is done. Let this be a wake-up call to scrutinize the everyday items we trust with our children’s well-being.
For now, if you own one of these pools, act fast to secure the repair or remove the risk entirely. The cost of inaction is far too high, and no summer memory is worth that price.
