defective child product recall
Britax Child Restraints Recalled for Harness Defects
Britax Child Safety has issued a product defect recall for 14,220 child safety seats because of defective shoulder harnesses that may not hold the child in place in the event of a crash. According to a news report in The New York Times, the recall comes nine months after the company made a change in its manufacturing process to correct the defect. Product manufacturers are required under the law to notify federal safety authorities within five business days of its plan for a recall. Failing to do so can result in civil penalties. Britax sent the letter to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) only on January 26, 2012. Company officials tell the Times that they did not delay notifying the agency.
Britax started to receive complaints about the restraint failure on the Chaperone infant car seats since March. These defective seats were made between September 2010 and May 2011. The model numbers of the affected seats are E9L692J, E9L692K, E9L692L, and E9L692M. Britax traced the problem to a faulty aluminum rivet that is supposed to secure the harness strap adjuster to the seat. If the rivet breaks, the harness adjuster can detach, leaving the child unprotected in the event of a crash. Britax received 57 complaints related to the defect, but has no record of injuries or fatalities.
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Evenflo Voluntarily Recalls Nearly 14,000 Booster Seats in the U.S.
Evenflo Company, Inc. is voluntarily recalling an estimated 14,000 child booster seats because of a crack that occurred in laboratory tests that were done in late September, according to the Office of Defects Investigation in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The company has not received reports of the crack or injuries occurring to consumers.
The recall affects Maestro Combination Booster Seats with model numbers starting with 310. The defective child restraint systems were among those built from November 2009 to April 2010. Another 4,479 seats made during roughly the same time frame are being recalled in Canada. Evenflo has assured consumers the defective child product will immediately be removed from store shelves.
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