Target Merona Women’s Sidezip "ENA" Style Boots

What went wrong

The notice saysThe heel on the boot can detach from the sole while in use, causing the consumer to fall.

This was the second time in 3 months that Target recalled footwear for a fall hazard; the first was Mossimo Beaded Sandals on December 2, 2004. Here the heel fails; in the other notice it is the sole. The notices are separate, each with its own description and dates, so check every pair you own against its own notice.

How to tell if your pair is affected

Product description in the noticeThe Merona Women’s sidezip boot comes in black or brown with a three-inch heel in sizes 5 1/2 through 11. The style numbers included in this recall are 096-10-1180 through 1190 for the black boots and 096- 10-1200 through 1210 for the brown boots. These numbers appear on the interior zipper liner along with the words, "All Man Made Materials," "Made in China," "Merona" and "ENA".

The notice gives no style numbers or barcodes, so you match on what it does give: the brand and style (Merona Women’s Sidezip "ENA" Style Boots), the sizes (sizes 5 1/2 through 11), the sale period (July 2004 to January 2005), the store (Target) and the “made in” label (China). If a detail does not line up, the recall contact below can confirm.

What the notice tells you to do

RemedyConsumers should stop wearing the boots immediately and return them to the nearest Target store for a full refund.

Recall contact, as printed in the notice: Call Target at (800) 440-0680 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET Saturday, or visit Target’s Web site at www.target.com

The recall is 21 years old, and the last pairs were sold about 21 years ago. The notice gives a phone number and a website for the firm; contact details that old may no longer work, while the CPSC notice stays online as the record of the recall.

How this recall compares

• With about 135,000 units, this is the 14th largest of the 95 footwear recalls in our archive that give a U.S. unit count. The median recall in the archive covers about 7,200 units, so this one is well above typical size.
• 26 other footwear recalls in the archive cite the same kind of hazard (falls), 9 of them in women’s footwear. The earliest in this group dates from 1998.
• The notice puts the sales window at about 7 months (July 2004 to January 2005), against a median of 7 months across recalls that state one. The recall came 1 month after the last sale date.
• The notice gives a price of $25. For boots in the archive the typical stated price is about $29, so this pair sat near the middle of its group.
• The notice cites 19 reports before the recall. 36 of the 95 detailed notices in the archive cite no incidents at all.

Year, part, store and origin

• 2005 brought 3 footwear recalls in our archive, covering about 142,900 units in all. This was the 1st of the year by date and the 1st largest by units.
• The notice names the heel as the part that fails. 8 other footwear recalls in the archive name the same part in their hazard statement; the most recent is Women’s High Heeled Sandals (2023).
• Sold at Target. 8 other footwear recalls in the archive also list Target as a seller; the most recent is Cat & Jack Children’s Sandals (2026).
• Made in China. 61 of the 91 notices in the archive that name a country list China (67%).
• 19 reports on about 135,000 units works out to roughly 14 reports per 100,000 units. The median across the 55 recalls that give both figures is 16, so this recall drew fewer reports per pair than most.
• At the stated price, the 135,000 units come to roughly $3.4 million of retail sales.

Against the other Target recall

Target also recalled Mossimo Beaded Sandals on December 2, 2004. This recall came 3 months after it. It was the smaller of the two, 135,000 units against 1,200,000. Both are falls recalls, but here the heel fails, there the sole. These sold for more, $25 against $10. They were on sale for a shorter time, about 7 months against 8 months. The notice cites 19 reports, the earlier one 15.

Comparisons use the 103 footwear recalls in our archive, read from the CPSC recall database on October 20, 2026. See data and methods.