Millions of above-ground pools recalled due to child drowning risks
FULL SWING NOW, WHICH MEANS MANY OF US ARE TURNING TO POOLS FOR RELIEF FROM THE HEAT. AND WHILE THE WATER CAN BE A GREAT WAY FOR KIDS TO STAY ACTIVE AND COOL OFF, IT ALSO COMES WITH SOME VERY REAL RISKS. JOINING US NOW IS MARVIN THORPE, THE OWNER OF FOUR M’S SWIM CLUB IN BALTIMORE COUNTY. MR. THORPE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH US. YOU HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR DECADES, FOR DECADES. AND AND KIDS OF ALL AGES. YOU KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR KIDS TO KNOW BASIC SWIM SKILLS. TELL US ABOUT THAT. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LEARNING TO SWIM IS JUST A LIFE SAVING SKILL. IT’S A LIFE SKILL, RIGHT? AND NOT EVERYBODY HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. BUT EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET IN THE WATER. THE LAST FEW DAYS BEEN LIKE REALLY, REALLY HOT. SO EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET IN. SO JUST LEARNING HOW TO SWIM AND NEGOTIATE THE WATER ON YOUR OWN IS IMPORTANT FOR EVERYBODY. IT’S A LIFE SKILL. AND WHAT AGE WOULD YOU SAY IS A GOOD TIME FOR KIDS TO GET INTO THOSE LESSONS? BECAUSE I PUT MY ONE OF MY KIDS IN SWIM AT LIKE TWO AND A HALF, AND IT WAS IT WAS A STRUGGLE TO EVEN PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT WAS GOING ON. HONESTLY, I THINK AROUND FOUR THEY CAN ACTUALLY LEARN ON THEIR OWN, BUT IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO INTRODUCE THEM TO ANOTHER VENUE. BESIDES THE BATHTUB. SURE. SO IT’S NEVER BECAUSE EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT CAPABLE IN TERMS OF MOTOR AND COGNITIVE SKILLS, AT TWO THREE, WHEN THEY ACTUALLY DO DEVELOP THOSE SKILLS, THEY’RE COMFORTABLE IN THE WATER. SO IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY. I WONDER, SO TELL US IF YOU’RE, YOU KNOW, YOUR CHILD MAYBE HAS HAD SOME LESSONS STARTING AT 3:00 OR WHATEVER. WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR TO FEEL COMFORTABLE, EVEN YOU KNOW, THAT THEY CAN MAYBE BE IN THE WATER A LITTLE BIT MORE BY THEMSELVES, MAYBE DON’T NEED THE FLOTATION DEVICES. WHAT ARE THE SKILLS PARENTS SHOULD BE WATCHING OUT FOR? TYPICALLY, PARENTS ARE ALWAYS THERE, NO MATTER HOW WELL THEY SAY THEY CAN SWIM OR YOU THINK THEY CAN SWIM. SOMETHING CAN HAPPEN IN A MATTER OF MOMENTS. SO PARENTS SHOULD ALWAYS BE THERE. AND THEN AFTER THAT, AS THEY GET OLDER AND STRONGER, 4 OR 5, SIX, SEVEN YEARS OF AGE, YOU CAN KIND OF LET THEM HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE LEEWAY. BUT ONE OF THE POOL RULES IS PARENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR CHILDREN’S SAFETY, AND THE OTHER ONE IS SWIM WITH A BUDDY IN A SUPERVISED AREA. SO SOMEONE SHOULD ALWAYS BE THERE TO WATCH YOU NO MATTER WHAT AGE YOU ARE. EVEN WHEN YOU’RE AN ADULT AND YOU GO TO A HEALTH CLUB, THERE’S A LIFEGUARD THERE FOR ADULT SWIMMING, SO YOU NEVER GO BY YOURSELF, RIGHT? AND KAI MENTIONED FLOTATION DEVICES, INFLATABLES, ANYTHING LIKE THAT. DO YOU HAVE A RECOMMENDATION FOR THAT? DO THEY WORK? I MEAN, YOU SEE KIDS WITH LIKE THE ARMS AND THOSE ARM ONES SLIP OFF. THEY’RE NOT REALLY ALL THAT GOOD. I THINK THE BEST THING IS TO MAKE SURE THEY GET INTO WATER. THEY CAN STAND UP IN. SO A LOT OF POOLS HAVE A ZERO GRADE. IT’S KIND OF LIKE A BEACH, LIKE A RAMP. THAT’S THE BEST WAY THEY CAN KIND OF STAND UP. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY CAN STAND UP. SO JUST IN CASE IT COMES OFF THE ARMS, THEY CAN AT LEAST STAND UP. OR YOU CAN GET TO THEM BEFORE SOMETHING HAPPENS. WHAT ARE THE TELLTALE SIGNS THAT SOME THAT SOMEONE’S IN TROUBLE, THAT THEY’RE IN DISTRESS? ACTUALLY, WHEN THEY’RE REALLY IN TROUBLE, THEY DON’T MAKE MUCH NOISE BECAUSE THE WATER IS ALREADY IN THEIR MOUTH. SO IT’S HARD FOR THEM TO SCREAM. SO WHILE YOU’RE WATCHING THEM, YOU KNOW, IF THEY START TO FLAIL OR IF THEY’RE MOVING ERRATICALLY, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF NOT NORMALLY FASTER THAN USUAL, THEN, YOU KNOW, HEY, GET TO THEM QUICKLY. BUT IF PARENTS ARE THERE ALL THE TIME WITHIN ARM’S REACH, YOU CAN KIND OF, YOU KNOW, YOUR CHILD, YOU CAN KIND OF YOU CAN TELL, YOU CAN GRAB THEM. OF COURSE, A REALLY IMPORTANT TOPIC, ESPECIALLY THIS TIME OF YEAR, IS EVERYONE HEADS TO THE POOLS AND THE BEACHES. SO MARVIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THANK YO
Millions of above-ground pools recalled due to child drowning risks
![vlog logo]()
Updated: 10:22 AM CDT Jul 22, 2025
Editorial Standards ⓘ
Millions of above-ground pools that use compression straps have been recalled following nine reported deaths.Related video above: Here are some tips on keeping your kids safe near waterThe recalled above-ground pools have been sold since 2002 at stores nationwide, including Walmart, Target, Sears, Lowe's, Kmart, Toys "R" Us, Sam's Club, Home Depot, Big Lots, Costco and BJ's, among others, as well as online through Amazon, Wayfair, Bestway USA, Intex, Funsicle and Summer Waves.The recalled pools range in price from approximately $400 to over $1,000 depending on the size and model of the pool and additional accessories purchased. For a full list of the pools included in the recall, click here.The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bestway, Intex Recreation Corp. and Polygroup North America Inc. announced the recall of above-ground pools 48 inches and taller. According to the recall, the compression straps used on the outside of the pool's supporting poles may create a foothold that can allow a child to access the pool and drown. "Children can still gain access to the pools using these footholds even if the ladder is removed," the recall says. The Consumer Product Safety Commission believes that nine children between the ages of 22 months and 3 years old drowned after gaining access to the pools using the footholds. Those incidents occurred in California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri between 2007 and 2022.The recall also notes three other incidents that occurred in 2011 and 2012 in which children gained access to the recalled pools using the compression strap. "Consumers should immediately contact Bestway, Intex, and Polygroup to receive a free repair kit consisting of a rope that attaches to each of the vertical support poles at the ground level and wraps around the pool," the recall notice says. "The rope will maintain the structural integrity of the pool (a function previously served by the compression strap)."
Millions of above-ground pools that use compression straps have been recalled following nine reported deaths.
Related video above: Here are some tips on keeping your kids safe near water
The recalled above-ground pools have been sold since 2002 at stores nationwide, including Walmart, Target, Sears, Lowe's, Kmart, Toys "R" Us, Sam's Club, Home Depot, Big Lots, Costco and BJ's, among others, as well as online through Amazon, Wayfair, Bestway USA, Intex, Funsicle and Summer Waves.
The recalled pools range in price from approximately $400 to over $1,000 depending on the size and model of the pool and additional accessories purchased. For a full list of the pools included in the recall, click .
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bestway, Intex Recreation Corp. and Polygroup North America Inc. announced the recall of above-ground pools 48 inches and taller.
According to the recall, the compression straps used on the outside of the pool's supporting poles may create a foothold that can allow a child to access the pool and drown.
"Children can still gain access to the pools using these footholds even if the ladder is removed," the recall says.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission believes that nine children between the ages of 22 months and 3 years old drowned after gaining access to the pools using the footholds. Those incidents occurred in California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri between 2007 and 2022.
The recall also notes three other incidents that occurred in 2011 and 2012 in which children gained access to the recalled pools using the compression strap.
"Consumers should immediately contact Bestway, Intex, and Polygroup to receive a free repair kit consisting of a rope that attaches to each of the vertical support poles at the ground level and wraps around the pool," the recall notice says. "The rope will maintain the structural integrity of the pool (a function previously served by the compression strap)."
