WASHINGTON - Thousands of cribs were recalled in the U.S. and Canada Thursday, with government agencies warning that babies could suffocate or strangle in them.

In the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said a recall of Simplicity cribs was linked to at least one death and involved thousands of cribs, possibly hundreds of thousands, though many had previously been recalled for other defects. The agency said about 217,000 Graco drop-side cribs made by LaJobi were also being recalled.

The problem with both types of cribs stems from hardware failures.

Health Canada also announced a recall Thursday of Graco-brand drop-side cribs manufactured by LaJobi. The cribs affected by this recall are of wooden construction with metal mattress supports and a drop side, the agency said on its website. The recalled models are Hampton Drop Side Hickory Model 3080136 and Sarah Drop Side Espresso Model 3000136.

Approximately 5,180 units of these cribs were sold from February 2008 to April 2010 at Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, The Bay, Zellers, the Loblaws group and various retailers across Canada, Health Canada said.

The agency said in a statement that it was aware of the other recall in the U.S., but under the current legislation, Canada does not have mandatory recall powers or the ability to trace products through the supply chain and is following up with Canadian manufacturers and distributors to determine whether the products were available in Canada.

"In the meantime, we encourage parents to follow Health Canada's safe sleep guidelines and inspect their cribs for worn or broken hardware or any other visible signs of wear or damage," the statement said.

In the case of the Graco-branded wood cribs, the side that moves up and down -- the drop side -- can break or detach, creating a dangerous gap between the crib mattress and dropped side. A baby can become trapped and suffocate or strangle. CPSC and LaJobi have received 99 complaints in the U.S. of drop-side problems with the cribs. None involved serious injuries.

A retrofit kit will be available to consumers to prevent the drop side from moving, making all four sides of the crib stationary.

The Simplicity recall is for all of the full-sized cribs with tubular metal mattress-support frames. Those frames can bend or detach, causing the mattress to collapse and creating a space that a baby can roll into, become trapped in and suffocate.

A one-year-old boy in North Attleboro, Mass., became trapped in his Simplicity crib and suffocated in 2008, according to the commission.

"CPSC urges all parents and caregivers to not attempt to resell any Simplicity crib to a thrift store, at a yard sale or online," said agency spokesman Scott Wolfson. "These recalled cribs have killed far too many babies and need to be kept out of homes and daycare centres."

Simplicity has been the subject of almost a dozen recalls since 2005 and its cribs and bassinets have been linked to 13 deaths.

The commission had previously recalled all Simplicity drop-side cribs. With the latest recall, nearly all Simplicity cribs have now been recalled, possibly hundreds of thousands. Simplicity and its successor company, SFCA Inc., are no longer in business, so the agency doesn't know exactly how many cribs were sold.

With files from The Canadian Press