To that end, various Embark Resistance Cord lawsuits have stemmed from a 2011 recall by Target Corporation (Target) of Embark Resistance Cords following reports of failure and injury. The failures and subsequent recall of the Embark products have put renewed focus on products manufactured in China.To summarize, various models and combinations of the Embark resistance cords were recalled by Target in association with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) following reports of injury. Specifically, Target had received three reports of the door anchor ball unexpectedly releasing and striking the user with sufficient force to foster an Embark Resistance Cord injury. Two of the incidents were reported to have caused permanent vision loss, while the severity of the injury to the third complainant was not known.
Some 447,000 of the resistance cords and cord kits manufactured by Embark and imported by Target were recalled. The black plastic ball was designed to work in conjunction with a strap that combined would serve to anchor one end of the resistance cord to a door - presumably a door handle. Provided the door anchor operated as designed, the door would serve as a foundation for resistance.
However, were the door anchor ever to fail with resistance applied, the door anchor mechanism would be instantly and forcefully directed toward the user, with potentially devastating consequences.
Some Embark Resistance Cord lawsuits have been settled out of court before trials had the opportunity to begin.
While Target and the CPSC recalled 447,000 units of Embark Resistance Cords, there are no immediate reports as to how many of the allegedly compromised units actually came back. Thus, were the products to remain in active use, an Embark Resistance Cord injury from a failing door anchor is always a possibility.
The press release issued jointly by Target and the CPSC identified the products as “made of green, blue or black rubber with black foam handles and a door attachment. A strap of nylon webbing is looped onto the band with a plastic ball attached or encased that serves as a door anchor. ‘Embark’ is printed on either the black strap attached to the foam handle or on the middle of the rubber cord itself.”
The products were described at the time as follows:
“Embark Light (tension) Resistance Cord in green, Embark Medium (tension) Resistance Cord in blue, Embark Heavy (tension) Resistance Cord in black and Embark Resistance Cord kit (set of 3 cords in green/blue/black stored in a mesh bag).”
They were sold exclusively through Target retail locations and online at Target.com from July 2009 through August 2011.
They were manufactured in China, a republic that in recent years has come under fire for exporting defective products to the US market that included allegedly tainted dog food, toothpaste, automotive tires and children’s toys.