Above Ground Pool Recall Lawsuit | 2026 Latest Updates

Above-ground pools 48 inches and taller with an external compression strap are behind a class-action lawsuit and five separate product recalls covering seven pool brands sold nationwide. The strap allegedly lets small children climb in unsupervised and drown. A class-action lawsuit, In re Bestway Above-Ground Pools Litigation (N.D. Ill. No. 1:25-cv-09570), is pending against Bestway Inflatables & Material Corp. over the same compression-strap hazard the recalls describe. All five CPSC and Health Canada recalls of Bestway, Intex, Polygroup, Blue Wave, SereneLife, Starmatrix and Evajoy pools remain open. Each offers a free repair kit or refund directly from the manufacturer now.

Latest Above Ground Pool Lawsuit Updates

February 26, 2026: CPSC Recalls Evajoy Above-Ground Pools

The CPSC recalled about 4,000 Evajoy above-ground pools 48 inches and taller on February 26, 2026, for the same compression-strap drowning hazard identified in the four earlier pool recalls (recall #26-308)[1]. No incidents or injuries have been reported. Evajoy is offering affected owners a free repair kit. The pools were sold on Amazon from March 2023 through June 2024 for between $550 and $1,050.

January 29, 2026: CPSC Recalls Starmatrix Sunneday and Blue Bay Pools

About 2,390 Starmatrix Sunneday and Blue Bay pools, 48 inches and taller, were recalled by CPSC on January 29, 2026, for the same drowning hazard (recall #26-227)[2]. No incidents or injuries have been reported. Starmatrix is providing a repair kit at no cost. The pools were sold on Amazon and Starmatrix’s own site from January 2024 through October 2025 for between $500 and $1,210.

December 18, 2025: CPSC Recalls Blue Wave Above-Ground Pools

Blue Wave above-ground pools 48 inches and taller, about 13,400 of them, were recalled by CPSC on December 18, 2025, for the same compression-strap hazard (recall #26-263)[3]. No incidents or injuries have been reported. Blue Wave is offering a free repair kit. The pools were sold at The Home Depot, Lowe’s and Dunham’s Sports, and online, from January 2021 through July 2025 for between $600 and $2,000.

December 18, 2025: CPSC Recalls SereneLife Above-Ground Pools

CPSC recalled about 80 SereneLife above-ground pools 48 inches and taller the same day, December 18, 2025, for the identical compression-strap hazard (recall #26-162)[4]. No incidents were reported. SereneLife is offering a full refund rather than a repair kit. The pools were sold online at Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair and Target from December 2021 through May 2025 for between $300 and $500.

August 12, 2025: Bestway Class-Action Lawsuit Is Filed

Plaintiffs filed a class-action complaint against Bestway Inflatables & Material Corp. on August 12, 2025, in the Northern District of Illinois federal court, No. 1:25-cv-09570, the first court filing tied to this compression-strap hazard. The case, In re Bestway Above-Ground Pools Litigation, is a class action over the same compression-strap hazard behind the five pool recalls. No public court record yet shows a settlement or verdict.

July 21, 2025: CPSC and Health Canada Recall Five Million Pools

CPSC recalled about 5 million Bestway, Intex and Polygroup pools in the United States, and Health Canada recalled about 266,000 in Canada, on July 21, 2025 (recall #25-393), the largest recall in this hazard family [5, 6]. CPSC counted nine child drownings tied to the strap between 2007 and 2022, plus three separate 2011-2012 incidents where children used it to enter a pool without drowning.

Who May Be Affected?

Owners of a Bestway, Intex, Polygroup, Blue Wave, SereneLife, Starmatrix or Evajoy above-ground pool 48 inches or taller are covered by one of five open CPSC and Health Canada recalls. Each pool has an external compression strap tied to the same hazard, and every recall offers either a free repair kit or a refund. Each recall offers a free repair kit or refund at no cost, regardless of whether a household also has a pending lawsuit claim. The pending Bestway class action applies only to pools sold under that brand, and no settlement or payment amount is confirmed in the court record reviewed. Families whose child was hurt or died after gaining pool access through the compression strap hold a separate potential injury claim, regardless of pool brand. A legal review can confirm which recalled brand and which type of claim, if any, applies to a specific pool and incident.

Reported Injuries or Damages

CPSC believes nine children ages 22 months to 3 years drowned after gaining pool access through the compression-strap foothold in California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri between 2007 and 2022. The agency is also aware of three 2011 and 2012 incidents where children used the same strap to enter a pool without drowning. The four more recent recalls, covering Blue Wave, SereneLife, Starmatrix and Evajoy pools, report no additional incidents or injuries to CPSC as of each notice’s release date. The lawsuit against Bestway alleges the compression strap creates a foothold that lets children climb into the pool unsupervised, the same hazard CPSC’s recall notice describes. These are CPSC’s own incident reports, not proof the strap caused every reported drowning. A family’s specific claim still depends on its own facts.

Recall and Regulatory Background

The original July 2025 CPSC and Health Canada recall covered about 5 million pools in the United States and about 266,000 in Canada. Four more recalls since then, covering Blue Wave (about 13,400 pools), SereneLife (about 80), Starmatrix (about 2,390) and Evajoy (about 4,000), share the same external compression-strap hazard. Each recall’s remedy is a free repair kit, except SereneLife, which offers a refund. Two smaller pool brands in this same hazard family have their own detailed recall pages: the SereneLife pool recall and the Blue Wave pool recall.

Evidence to Preserve

Keeping the following records helps document a claim tied to either the pending Bestway lawsuit or a separate injury case:

• Proof of purchase or a receipt showing the pool brand, price and purchase date
• Photos of the model number and UPC code printed on the pool liner
• The repair-kit request, refund confirmation or other correspondence with the manufacturer
• Medical records, hospital discharge paperwork or a coroner’s report for a drowning or near-drowning injury
• Photos of the compression strap and how the pool was set up at the time of the incident

These records support a pending Bestway lawsuit claim, or a separate personal-injury review for any of the seven recalled brands.

Filing Deadlines

Deadlines for filing an individual lawsuit come from state law, not from any particular case’s own filing date. How long a family has to sue depends on where they live and when the drowning, injury or diagnosis happened. A handful of states measure the window from the date a doctor confirms an injury instead of the date the pool incident happened, and missing that window can end an otherwise strong claim. Anyone weighing a personal-injury or wrongful-death claim tied to an above-ground pool compression strap should speak with a lawyer promptly to learn the deadline that applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which SereneLife Pool Models Are Included in the Recall?

The SereneLife pool models included in the recall are two specific codes, SLPORND15 and SLPORND18, the only ones CPSC’s notice lists by number. Match the code stamped on your pool’s liner against these two numbers, since a SereneLife pool outside this list is not part of the recall.

What If My Above-Ground Pool Is Not Listed in the Recall?

If your above-ground pool is not listed in the recall, check the brand name and model number printed on the pool liner against each CPSC notice. The seven recalled brands cover pools sold from 2002 through 2025, so an unlisted pool is not covered.

Do I Have to Return the Pool to Get the Free Repair Kit?

No, you do not have to return the pool for the free repair kit. Each manufacturer’s remedy – Bestway, Intex, Polygroup, Blue Wave, Starmatrix and Evajoy (made by Shenzhen Danya Tech) – installs a rope kit at home. Only SereneLife offers a refund and requires photo proof of destruction.

Are the Blue Wave and SereneLife Pool Recalls Part of the Same Lawsuit?

No, the Blue Wave and SereneLife pool recalls are not part of the same lawsuit. Only Bestway Inflatables & Material Corp. is named in the pending class action. Intex, Polygroup, Blue Wave, SereneLife, Starmatrix and Evajoy have separate recalls with no lawsuit confirmed against them.

Is There a TTY Line for CPSC’s Recall Hotline?

Yes, CPSC’s Consumer Hotline offers a TTY line at 800-638-8270 for callers who are deaf or hard of hearing, alongside the standard hotline at 800-638-2772. Either number reaches the same CPSC reporting channel described for a repair-kit or company-response problem.

Where Can I Report a Problem with My Repair Kit or a Company’s Response?

Report a Bestway, Intex, Polygroup, Blue Wave, Starmatrix or Evajoy rope-kit installation problem, or a slow company response, to CPSC through its Recall Complaint form. Report a related drowning or near-drowning injury directly at SaferProducts.gov, the agency’s own incident-reporting site.

References

1. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026/Evajoy-Above-Ground-Pools-48-Inches-and-Taller-Recalled-Due-to-Drowning-Hazard-Manufactured-by-Shenzhen-Danya-Tech
2. https://cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026/Sunneday-and-Blue-Bay-Above-Ground-Pools-48-Inches-and-Taller-Recalled-Due-to-Drowning-Hazard-Manufactured-by-Starmatrix-Group
3. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026/Blue-Wave-Recalls-Above-Ground-Pools-48-Inches-and-Taller-Due-to-Drowning-Hazard
4. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026/SereneLife-Home-Recalls-Above-Ground-Pools-48-Inches-and-Taller-Due-to-Drowning-Hazard
5. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/Bestway-Intex-and-Polygroup-Recall-Certain-Above-Ground-Pools-48-Inches-and-Taller-Due-to-Drowning-Hazard-Nine-Deaths-Reported-Five-Million-Pools-Sold-Since-2002
6. https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/select-bestway-intex-and-polygroup-above-ground-pools-48-inches-and-taller-recalled