3,662,000 Little Giant Ladders Recalled After 19 Injury Reports Because The Rapid Locks Can Let A Ladder Suddenly Retract, With Many Sold At Lowe’s And Costco

If there is a Little Giant ladder hanging on the wall of your garage, go and look at it today. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of about 3,662,000 of them, because the Rapid Locks on the legs can let the ladder suddenly retract under a person’s weight.

A black and yellow extension ladder lying on the ground under a pine tree.

The notice is recall number 27-067, announced on November 5, 2026. It is one of the largest ladder recalls in memory, and it touches a lot of ordinary garages, basements and workshops.

Ladders Can Suddenly Retract If The Rapid Locks Are Not Fully Engaged

The hazard is simple and ugly. If a Rapid Lock is not fully engaged, the ladder can collapse in length without warning, and a person standing on it falls.

The agency reports 25 incidents of ladders retracting. Those include 19 injury reports, and three of them were head injuries, described as including traumatic brain injury, skull fracture and concussion, along with vision loss, hearing loss and cognitive impairment.

The other 16 injuries were things like broken or fractured joints and bones, cuts and bruises. There were also 39 separate reports of Rapid Locks not working properly.

That is a long list of ways a Saturday chore can go wrong. It is also why the agency wants owners to stop using the ladder right away.

The Recall Covers 11 Models Sold At Lowe’s And Costco For Nearly A Decade

The recalled ladders are imported by Little Giant Ladder Systems of Springville, Utah. They were made in the United States, China, Mexico and Malaysia.

They were sold at Lowe’s, Costco and other stores nationwide, and online at Lowes.com, Amazon.com, Costco.com, LittleGiantLadders.com and other websites. The sales ran from December 2015 through October 2026, at prices from about $100 to $1,000.

The models named in the recall are the Adjustable Fortress 2.0, Conquest 2.0, Dark Horse 2.0, Epic, King Kombo XT, Leveler, MegaLite, MegaLite+, Multi, Quantum and Vector. The brand name and model are printed on the side of the ladder.

Look at the legs. The Rapid Locks are black or orange, and one sits on each leg.

Check For An Orange QC Sticker Above The Lock

Not every ladder with Rapid Locks is in the recall. Only ladders without an orange rectangular “QC” sticker on the rail above one of the Rapid Locks are included.

So the quick test is this. Find the model name, find the locks, then look at the rail just above a lock for that orange sticker. If it is there, your ladder is outside the recall. If it is missing, you are in.

Take a photo of the ladder, the model name and the locks before you call anyone. It will save you time on the phone.

Stop Using It Today, Then Ask For The Free Repair Kit

The agency’s instructions are plain. Stop using the ladder immediately, then review the recall instructions at www.littlegiantladders.com/pages/recalls, or scan the QR code on the ladder.

Next, contact Little Giant for a free repair kit. It comes with warning labels and instructions, and you stick the labels on the ladder.

From then on, make sure the Rapid Locks are fully engaged before every single use, and lubricate them to keep them working. If a lock still does not work properly after lubrication, contact the company for an evaluation.

You can reach Little Giant toll-free at 866-201-9069, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mountain Time, Monday through Friday. The company’s website also has a RECALLS link at the top of its home page.

A Replacement Or A Refund If The Lock Still Fails

If a lock still fails after the evaluation, you get a choice. You can take a replacement ladder of the same or an equivalent model, or you can take a refund.

For a ladder bought within the past 12 months, the refund can go up to the full purchase price. For older ladders, it is a depreciated value based on the date you bought it.

The full recall notice is on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website, and the agency’s hotline is 800-638-2772.

How To Use Any Ladder Without Ending Up In The Emergency Room

Even a ladder that is not recalled deserves respect. Falls from ladders send many people to the hospital every year, and most of those falls happen at home, close to the ground.

Set the ladder on firm, level ground. Check that every lock, latch and spreader is fully engaged before your foot leaves the floor, and give the ladder a gentle shake.

Keep your belt buckle between the rails, and do not lean out to reach something far away. Climb down, move the ladder, and climb up again. It feels slow, and it is much faster than a broken hip.

Do not stand on the top step or the top cap, and match the ladder’s rating to your weight plus the tools you are carrying. Have someone nearby who can hold the base and call for help if needed.

If you share a garage with a neighbor, a son-in-law or a friend who borrows your tools, tell them about the recall too. Ladders get lent around, and the person who borrows yours may never see the notice.

Finally, if you have a Little Giant you no longer want, do not sell it or give it away until the lock issue is sorted out. Take care of the repair first, then decide what to do with it.

Willow and Hearth