Louisville Ladder Recalls 1.7 Million Attic Stairways After Bolts Snap Mid-Use

If you pull down an attic ladder to grab a suitcase or a box of decorations, you don’t think about the bolts holding it together. Louisville Ladder wants you to start. The company just recalled 1,770,000 attic stairway ladders sold under the Louisville, Featherlite, Lite, and Century names after the bolts that support the ladder started snapping during normal use.

Louisville Ladder Attic Stairway Recall — Key Facts

Detail	Information
Recall Number	26-661
Recall Date	August 6, 2026
Units Recalled	1,770,000 in the U.S. (plus about 13,054 in Canada)
Hazard	Spreader bolts can break during use, causing a fall
Remedy	Free repair kit (replacement bolts, washers, lock nuts)
Incidents Reported	11 bolt-breaking reports, including 1 injury to the neck, head, and back
Brands Affected	Louisville, Featherlite, Lite, Century — gas-strut models only
Sold At	Home Depot, Lowe’s, Do It Best, Orgill, Amazon.com, other retailers
Sold Between	November 2012 through July 2026
Price Range	$170 to $600
Importer	Louisville Ladder, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky
Manufactured In	Mexico
Joint Recall With	Health Canada
Last Updated	August 28, 2026

Who Is Louisville Ladder and Why Is This Recall Happening?

Louisville Ladder imports and sells folding attic stairways under several house brand names, not just its own. That’s part of why this recall is confusing for a lot of owners — a ladder can carry the Featherlite or Century name and still fall under this notice, because the trigger isn’t the brand. It’s the gas-strut design and a spreader bolt that can shear under normal weight. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada announced the joint recall on August 6, 2026, after the company logged 11 reports of bolts breaking, one of which sent someone to the hospital with neck, head, and back injuries.

What Went Wrong With These Attic Ladders?

The recalled units are aluminum or wood-frame attic stairways with handrails that fold up into the ceiling when you’re done with them. Gas struts control how the ladder swings down and back up. According to the CPSC, the spreader bolts on these models can break mid-use, and when that happens, the ladder can give way under the person standing on it. That’s a fall of roughly eight feet or more onto a hard floor below — a serious drop for anyone, and a particularly dangerous one for older homeowners, who use pull-down attic ladders more often and heal from head and spinal injuries more slowly. You can review similar fall-hazard recalls and how CPSC classifies them in our coverage of the Adams Manufacturing Adirondack chair recall.

Eleven broken-bolt reports across nearly a decade of sales might sound small next to 1.77 million units. It isn’t, once you consider how these ladders get used — most attics only get opened a handful of times a year, and a lot of owners bought the house with the ladder already installed. That means plenty of units have barely been used at all, and the company still logged 11 failures. One of them put a person in the hospital.

Which Louisville Ladder Models Are Affected?

Here’s how to know if this recall includes your ladder.

• Owners of Louisville, Featherlite, Lite, or Century attic stairways with gas struts, purchased between November 2012 and July 2026
• Homes with attic openings measuring 22.5, 25.5, or 30 inches wide and 54 or 60 inches long
• Ceilings ranging from about 7 feet 8 inches up to 12 feet in height
• Buyers at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Do It Best, Orgill, other retailers nationwide, or Amazon.com
• Anyone who bought a home with the ladder already installed and never saw a receipt

Not every attic ladder qualifies. Models without gas struts, or ladders from other manufacturers entirely, aren’t part of this notice. The brand name and model number are printed on the inside of the attic door, so that’s the first place to look before you assume either way.

Attic Stairway Owners Outside the United States — Are You Still Covered?

This is a nationwide U.S. recall, and it runs in conjunction with a matching Health Canada recall covering roughly 13,054 units sold north of the border. If you bought your ladder in Canada, the process works the same way — register your model and request the repair kit.

Not sure whether a fall injury from a defective ladder gives you a separate legal claim? A free consultation with a product liability attorney can walk you through that before you decide anything.

Is There a Lawsuit Against Louisville Ladder?

Not yet. No class action or individual lawsuit has been filed against Louisville Ladder over this recall as of this writing, and there’s no settlement fund or claim form tied to it. What exists right now is a CPSC-supervised repair program — nothing more.

That could change. Recalls involving a documented injury and a fall hazard have a track record of turning into litigation once more owners come forward, especially when a company keeps selling a product for years after early failure reports start arriving. Weber’s grill brush recall followed a similar arc — years of consumer complaints before the lawsuits landed. If you were hurt by a Louisville Ladder attic stairway, document it now. Don’t wait for a law firm to find you.

What Should Louisville Ladder Owners Do Right Now?

1. Find your model number on the inside of the attic door.
2. Stop using the ladder immediately if it matches this recall.
3. Register at Atticstairwayrecall.expertinquiry.com for a free repair kit.
4. Or call Louisville Ladder at 888-679-5132, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
5. Install the replacement spreader bolts, washers, and lock nuts once the kit arrives — or visit louisvilleladder.com and click “Urgent Recall Notice” for full instructions.
6. If you or a family member was injured by a broken bolt, keep the ladder, photos of the damage, and any medical records before you contact the company.

Takes about 10 minutes to register. Fixing the ladder yourself once the kit arrives takes longer, but Louisville Ladder includes installation instructions with every kit.

Louisville Ladder Recall — Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Louisville Ladder attic stairway recall legitimate? 

Yes. It’s an official CPSC recall, number 26-661, announced August 6, 2026, and confirmed on cpsc.gov and by Health Canada.

Do I need a lawyer to get my free repair kit?

 No. The repair kit is free and doesn’t require legal help — just your model number and a registration at the company’s recall site.

What if my ladder was already installed when I bought my house?

 You’re still covered. Check the model number inside the attic door and register the same way as any other owner.

How long will the free repair kit take to arrive?

 Louisville Ladder hasn’t published a specific shipping timeline in the CPSC notice. Stop using the ladder while you wait.

Can I still sue Louisville Ladder if I was injured?

 A recall doesn’t cancel your right to pursue a claim separately. If a bolt failure hurt you, a product liability attorney can evaluate whether you have grounds for an individual case, even without a class action in place.

What if my ladder doesn’t have gas struts — am I still affected?

 No. This recall covers gas-strut models of the Louisville, Featherlite, Lite, and Century attic stairway lines only.

Sources Used in This Article

• CPSC Official Recall Notice — “Louisville Ladder Recalls Over One Million Attic Stairway Ladders Due to Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Fall Hazard,” August 6, 2026: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026/Louisville-Ladder-Recalls-Over-One-Million-Attic-Stairway-Ladders-Due-to-Risk-of-Serious-Injury-or-Death-from-Fall-Hazard
• Health Canada Recall Notice — Louisville and Featherlite Brand Attic Stairways: https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/louisville-and-featherlite-brand-attic-stairways-recalled-due-injury-hazard

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the official CPSC recall notice (26-661) and the matching Health Canada recall notice, as of August 28, 2026. Last Updated: August 28, 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary by state and individual circumstances differ. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.