Louisville Ladder Recall Covers 1.77 Million Attic Stairway Ladders

Status: Active CPSC recall. Recall date: August 6, 2026. Last reviewed: August 7, 2026. This safety brief summarizes the official notice; consumers should confirm model eligibility with the manufacturer.

Louisville Ladder Recall Covers 1.77 Million Attic Stairway Ladders

Louisville Ladder is recalling 1.77 million attic stairway ladders in the United States because spreader bolts can break while the ladder is in use, creating a serious fall hazard. About 13,054 additional units were sold in Canada.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says consumers should stop using affected ladders immediately and register for a free repair kit. The recalled products were sold for nearly 14 years at major national retailers and online, so homeowners should check older attic stairs rather than assuming the notice applies only to recent purchases.

Which ladders are included

The recall covers Louisville, Featherlite, Lite & Century attic stairway ladders with gas struts. The aluminum- or wood-frame ladders fold into an attic opening and were sold in several frame sizes for different ceiling openings and heights.

The brand name and model number are located on the inside of the attic door. CPSC’s notice is limited to the listed attic stairway ladders with gas struts. Owners should use the exact model number when checking eligibility and should not rely on color, age, or appearance alone.

The products were sold at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Do It Best, Orgill, other retailers nationwide, and Amazon from November 2012 through July 2026. Prices ranged from about $170 to $600. Louisville Ladder imported the units, which were manufactured in Mexico.

Why CPSC says to stop using them

The spreader bolts can break during use. CPSC reports 11 bolt-breaking incidents, including one injury involving the neck, head, and back. A failure can happen while a person is climbing, carrying an object, or moving through the attic opening, where a fall may involve both the ladder and the ceiling edge.

Do not climb the ladder to find a label if doing so requires using the recalled unit. If the model information cannot be viewed safely from below, contact the manufacturer for guidance or use a qualified professional. Keep children and visitors away from the ladder until it is checked and repaired.

The free repair

Consumers should register through the recall portal linked in CPSC’s notice. Eligible owners will receive a kit containing two replacement quarter-inch spreader bolts, washers, lock nuts, and installation instructions. Have the model number from the inside of the attic door available when registering.

The official consumer contact is Louisville Ladder at 888-679-5132, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday. The company also directs consumers to AtticStairwayRecall.ExpertInquiry.com or the urgent recall notice at LouisvilleLadder.com.

Consumers should verify that a repair kit, contractor, or phone call comes through the official notice. High-volume recalls can attract scam messages. Do not pay an unsolicited caller for a kit CPSC says is free, and do not give payment-card information to a link received through an unverified text or social post.

Homeowner documentation checklist

• Photograph the brand and model label without using the ladder if possible.
• Save the registration confirmation and any repair-kit tracking information.
• Keep the old hardware until the repair is complete and documented, unless instructions say otherwise.
• Record the repair date and who performed it.
• If a bolt failed or someone was hurt, preserve photos and report the incident through SaferProducts.gov.

Renters should notify the landlord or property manager in writing. Landlords, home inspectors, and property managers should check portfolios and maintenance records because the affected sales period runs from 2012 through July 2026.

Confirmed and pending

• Confirmed: The U.S. recall covers 1,770,000 Louisville, Featherlite, Lite & Century attic stairway ladders with gas struts.
• Confirmed: The spreader bolts can break and create a serious fall hazard.
• Confirmed: CPSC lists 11 bolt-breaking reports and one injury involving the neck, head, and back.
• Confirmed remedy: Stop use and register for a free repair kit.
• Pending: The final number of repaired units and any later expansion, additional incidents, or remedy update.
• Not established: The notice does not say every covered ladder has a broken bolt or that every model sold under the listed brands is included.

Why follow-through matters

A recall announcement is only the first step. Louisville Ladder and retailers should report how many owners are reached, how many kits ship, how many repairs are confirmed, and whether registration barriers leave older owners behind. Retailers with customer records should directly notify purchasers rather than relying only on a press release.

BadPD will track CPSC updates to recall number 26-661. Searchable model information and a visible completion rate are the receipts homeowners need.

Sources

• CPSC recall 26-661, Louisville Ladder attic stairway ladders (August 6, 2026).
• Louisville Ladder official recall registration portal (linked by CPSC; checked August 7, 2026).
• CPSC SaferProducts.gov incident-reporting portal (checked August 7, 2026).