Herman Miller chairs
4 reports to CPSC, the latest made Sep 27, 2026. A report isn’t a recall.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own search is on saferproducts.gov.
At a glance
From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.
- 4reports to CPSC
- Sep 27, 2026the latest report was made
- Jan 18, 2012the earliest
- 1with the company’s comments
- Brand
- Herman Miller
- Maker
- Herman Miller, Inc.Makers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- ChairsChairs without a type of their ownCPSC’s product type: Chairs, Other or Not Specified (code 4074), in Furniture, Furnishings & Decorations: Furniture
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| September 2026 | 1 |
| June 2024 | 1 |
| February 2023 | 1 |
| January 2012 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- Emergency room 1 CPSC: Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received
- Hurt, no treatment 1 CPSC: Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received
- No one hurt 1 CPSC: Incident, No Injury
- No incident, no one hurt 1 CPSC: No Incident, No Injury
As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.
The reports, as CPSC published them
Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.
Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.
CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.
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Hurt, no treatment Made Sep 27, 2026, sent to the company Oct 6, 2026, published by CPSC Oct 21, 2026
The product, in the report: Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair, furniture lounge chair, approximately 26 years old, shock mount failure
On August 17, 2026, while I was seated in my Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair in my home, a rubber/neoprene shock-mount adhesive bond failed suddenly and without warning. The structural connection between the wood shells gave way. I fell from the chair, struck my head, and experienced temporary tingling in my right wrist. The failure also tore layers of the wood panel at the mount.
This is a catastrophic occupied-use failure mode: the chair can abruptly collapse while a person is sitting in it, creating a serious fall hazard (head, neck, spine, and impact into nearby hard surfaces). In my home the chair sits near a picture window. Sudden rearward collapse creates a foreseeable risk of severe injury or death.
The chair is approximately 26 years old (per Herman Miller). I had not modified the shock mounts. A photograph dated July 2, 2026 shows the chair in ordinary use shortly before the failure. Age-related degradation of glued rubber shock mounts is a known maintenance failure point on this design. When the bond fails, separation can be sudden rather than gradual.
I contacted Herman Miller / MillerKnoll. They declined warranty and goodwill coverage, citing product age and a five-year warranty, and directed me to a [READCTED] restoration quote of about $2,837 for a full wood panel set (Quote [REDACTED]). Their response treated this as a customer repair issue rather than a product safety investigation of sudden occupied collapse.
I am reporting this incident so CPSC can evaluate whether sudden shock-mount separation on Eames Lounge Chairs presents a substantial product hazard warranting further investigation, hazard communication, or corrective action across the product population, not merely case-by-case paid repair for out-of-warranty owners.
- Model
- Eames Lounge Chair
- Where
- Empire, Michigan: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 60, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Herman Miller, made or sold by Herman Miller, Inc.
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received
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No incident, no one hurt Made Jun 5, 2024, sent to the company Jun 10, 2024, published by CPSC Jun 25, 2024
The product, in the report: Eames Molded Plywod Dining Chair, DCM, Ebony
We have 4 Herman Miller Eames kitchen chairs. 3 of the 4 have failed at a joint in the metal frame, sending us and guests crashing to the floor. We’ve asked the company to address this in the past and they say there is no defect. However, we are a household with 2 adults, no children, and we are very easy on furniture. Chairs should not fail in this manner, and we are lucky nobody has been severely hurt when they give way and fall apart suddenly. The 4th chair, the only one that has not failed yet, is starting to show signs of give as well. The company denies any quality issues. But something is wrong and these chairs are unsafe.
- Model
- Eames Molded Plywood Dining Chair Metal Base (DCM)
- Serial number
- K985237
- Bought from
- Design Within Reach
- Bought
- May 25, 2007
- Where
- New Hope, Pennsylvania: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 63, Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Spouse
- As this report names them
- Brand Herman Miller, made or sold by Herman Miller, Inc.
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- No Incident, No Injury
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No one hurt Made Feb 27, 2023, sent to the company Mar 14, 2023, published by CPSC Mar 28, 2023
The product, in the report: Eames Molded Fiberglass Armchair with walnut legs, color: parchment (Vitra Eames Shell Chair)
The legs to my Eames Molded Fiberglass armchair have detached from the chair body. This chair has been used as a daily dining chair indoors in our home. I was using the chair. No injuries occurred, but I can no longer safely use the chair, two of the four mounts are detached from the chair body.
- Model
- 32160 1B9BVX
- Serial number
- DFAW.BKOU111E8 BPO: 206312 SEQ:00026
- Bought from
- Design Within Reach, Florida
- Bought
- Apr 12, 2015
- Where
- Oakland Park, Florida: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 67, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Herman Miller, made or sold by Herman Miller, Inc.
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
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Emergency room Made Jan 18, 2012, sent to the company Jan 26, 2012, published by CPSC Feb 9, 2012
The product, in the report: Chair. Eames Molded Plastic Side Chair, manufactured by Herman Miller
On Janurary 14, 2012 my daughter had her middle right hand finger lacerated by a chair. The chair is called Eames Plastic Molded Side Chair manufactured by Herman Miller (www.hermanmiller.com). My daughter was getting up from the chair using the side of the chair when the chair tipped over. Her finger was caught between the side of the chair and the floor. She suffered a very deep cut and required 6 stitches. Here is a link to the chair http://store.hermanmiller.com/Products/Eames-Molded-Plastic-Side-Chair-with-Wire-Base. When I purchased the chair there was no warning that this chair would not be suitable for young children.
- Model
- Eames Molded Plastic Side Chair
- Serial number
- L425712
- Bought from
- www.smartfurniture.com
- Bought
- Dec 2, 2011
- Where
- The Woodlands, Texas: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 5, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Herman Miller, made or sold by Herman Miller, Inc.
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received
CPSC’s disclaimer
Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.
Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.
Sources
Sources
-
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.
Released Oct 25, 2026 and checked Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.