Little Giant Ladder Systems is recalling about 3,662,000 ladders sold from December 2015 through October 2026, because a height-adjustment lock can fail to hold and let the ladder suddenly retract. The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall Nov. 5 as recall 27-067. The company is offering a repair kit, and a replacement ladder or a refund if a lock still fails after the company evaluates it.
Is the ladder in the garage one of the 11 models?
The recall covers ladders with Rapid Locks, the black or orange locks on each leg that slide into the rungs to set the height. The named models are the Adjustable Fortress 2.0, Conquest 2.0, Dark Horse 2.0, Epic, King Kombo XT, Leveler, MegaLite, MegaLite+, Multi, Quantum and Vector. Ladders made in the United States, China, Mexico and Malaysia are included.
The recalling company is Little Giant Ladder Systems, LLC, of Springville, Utah. The locks are what hold the ladder at the height the user set. The CPSC says the ladders can retract if the Rapid Locks are not fully engaged, which is why the new instructions center on confirming the lock is seated before every climb.
Ladders with an orange rectangular “QC” sticker on the rail above a Rapid Lock are not part of the recall. Anyone who owns one of the eleven models and cannot find that sticker is covered, and the CPSC says to stop using the ladder immediately until the owner has reviewed the recall instructions.
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The ladders were sold at Lowe’s, Costco and other stores across the country, and online through Lowes.com, Amazon.com, Costco.com and LittleGiantLadders.com. Prices ran from about $100 to $1,000, so a household can have several hundred dollars tied up in a single ladder. Because the units went out over almost eleven years, many owners will have bought theirs long before the recall and may not remember the model name.
How many people were hurt when the locks gave way?
Little Giant told the CPSC it has received 25 reports of the ladders retracting, including 19 reports of injuries. Three of those were head injuries, described as traumatic brain injury, skull fracture, concussion, vision loss, hearing loss and cognitive impairment. The other 16 involved injuries such as joint or bone fractures, lacerations and bruising.
The company has also received 39 reports of Rapid Locks not working properly. A fall from a ladder is a common cause of serious injury for older adults, which is why the instruction to stop climbing comes before anything else in the notice.
This is not the first Little Giant locking recall. In 2017, Wing Enterprises recalled about 37,000 Little Giant ladders from Springville, Utah, after locking pins and rung fasteners could fail. That recall covered the Velocity, LT and Liberty lines, which are separate from the models named now.
What does the repair kit actually fix?
Owners are told to go to littlegiantladders.com/pages/recalls, or scan the QR code on the ladder, and ask Little Giant for a repair kit. The kit holds warning labels and instructions, which the CPSC says should be stuck onto the ladder. The CPSC notice does not list a price for the kit and does not describe replacement hardware in it.
The instructions tell owners to check that the Rapid Locks are fully engaged before every climb and to keep them lubricated. The phone line is 866-201-9069, open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mountain time, Monday through Friday. The CPSC lists no email address.
Before calling, it helps to have the model name, the store or website where the ladder was bought and the purchase date at hand, since the refund formula turns on that date. The phone line is staffed on weekdays only. The recall page and the QR code on the ladder are the routes that do not depend on office hours.
What is a bad lock worth in a replacement or refund?
The money comes into play only after a second step. Anyone whose lock still does not work after lubrication contacts Little Giant for an evaluation, and if the lock still fails, the company offers a choice between a replacement ladder of the same or an equivalent model and a refund.
The refund is not a flat amount. It runs from a depreciated value, based on the purchase date, up to the full purchase price for ladders bought within the past 12 months. The CPSC notice does not publish the depreciation schedule, so an owner of an older ladder has to ask the company what number it will use. A receipt or an order confirmation from Lowe’s, Costco or Amazon makes the purchase date easy to prove.
On a ladder that cost $100 to $1,000, the choice between a replacement and a refund is a real one. A replacement keeps the owner on equipment of the same quality, while a refund on an older ladder may come in below what a new one costs. The recall page asks people to contact the company before deciding what to do with a ladder that has a faulty lock.
Who covers the gap if an older ladder pays back less than a new one costs?
A depreciated refund can leave a ladder owner paying the difference on a $100-to-$1,000 purchase, and a household that loses one tool often has other everyday bills creeping up too. The CPSC says the amount depends on the purchase date, and the company has not published the figures.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
