Louisville Ladder is recalling about 1.77 million attic stairway ladders sold across the United States after the bolts holding the frame together were found to break during use. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall, listed as No. 26-661, on August 6, warning that a broken bolt can cause the ladder to buckle and create a serious fall hazard. An additional 13,054 units were sold in Canada.
According to the CPSC, the recalled ladders are sold under the Louisville, Featherlite, Lite and Century brand names and are built with gas struts that fold the unit up into the ceiling opening when not in use. Gas struts are the spring-assisted rods that let the ladder swing down under control instead of dropping under its own weight — similar hardware to what holds up a car tailgate or a laptop lid. The quarter-inch spreader bolts that connect the ladder's frame sections can snap while someone is climbing, and in at least one case the failure sent a person falling hard enough to injure the neck, head and back. Both aluminum- and wood-frame versions are included, and all of them come with handrails.
Eleven reports of a bolt breaking have reached Louisville Ladder since the affected units went on sale, the company told the CPSC. No deaths have been linked to the defect so far.
Which ladders are covered
The recall covers ladders sized to fit ceiling openings between 22.5 and 30 inches wide, in frame lengths of either 54 or 60 inches, rated for ceilings ranging from 7 feet 8 inches up to 12 feet. Every size combination was sold with the same gas-strut hinge design, so the ceiling opening alone won't tell an owner whether their unit is affected. Louisville Ladder also sells attic ladders that rely on springs or a rope-pull mechanism instead of gas struts, and those are not part of this recall. The only reliable way to check is the label plate on the inside of the attic door, where the brand name and model number are printed.
Between November 2012 and July 2026, the ladders were sold nationwide at Home Depot, Lowe's, Do It Best, Orgill and other hardware retailers, as well as on Amazon, with prices ranging from $170 to $600 depending on size and frame material.
Getting the free repair kit
Consumers who own one of the affected ladders should stop using it immediately, the CPSC said, and register at Atticstairwayrecall.expertinquiry.com to receive a free repair kit. The kit ships with two replacement quarter-inch spreader bolts, washers, lock nuts and step-by-step installation instructions, and owners will need the model number from the attic door label on hand to complete registration. Louisville Ladder can also be reached directly at 888-679-5132, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
The CPSC frames recalls like this one against the broader cost of product-related accidents in American homes: the agency estimates that deaths, injuries and property damage tied to consumer products cost the country more than $1 trillion a year. Attic ladders sit in a category the agency watches closely, since a fall from height carries a higher chance of serious injury than most other home-product hazards it tracks.
The ladder recall landed the same week the CPSC also announced a recall of roughly 2,000 Winston Porter and Seeday dressers over tip-over and entrapment risks. Federal law bars retailers and resale platforms from selling any product once the agency has ordered or accepted a recall, though in practice enforcement on secondhand listings falls largely to the marketplaces themselves.