Graco Recalls 3.7 Million Car Seats
On February 12, 2014, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in cooperation with Graco, announced the voluntary recall of 3.7 million Graco child car seats due to ongoing safety problems with the buckles. It is reported that that the red release button in the center of the Graco car seat harnesses can unlatch or become stuck. This poses a tremendous safety risk to children as it can make it difficult or impossible to remove the child from the seat quickly in an emergency.
The recall involves 11 of Graco’s popular car seat models, including:
Harnessed Booster Seat Models:
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Nautilus 3-in-1
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Nautilus Elite
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Argos
Convertible Toddler Car Seat Models:
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Cozy Cline
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Comfort Sport
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Classic Ride 50
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My Ride 65
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My Ride w/ Safety Surround
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My Ride 70
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Size-4-Me 70
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My Size 70
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Head Wise 70
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Smart Seat
While there are 3.7 million car seats affected by the recall, the recall does not involve Graco’s popular safety seats designed for infants.
Consumers with a Graco car seat should immediately inspect the seats to see if they have one of the buckles shown in the below images:
The Signature and QT buckles on Graco’s Convertible and Harnessed Booster car seats are the ones affected by the recall. Car seats with the square red button are not affected by the recall. The recalled seats were sold at retailers nationwide and online from 2009 through 2013 at prices retailing from $99 to $400.
Graco is offering consumers new replacement harness buckles at no cost. To order a new harness buckles, consumers need to contact Graco directly instead of returning the child safety seat to the retailer. Graco can be reached the following ways:
Toll Free (800) 345-4109
Email consumerservices@gracobaby.com
Online http://www.gracobaby.com/pages/home.aspx
Consumers are urged to contact Graco right away to order a new harness.
As a parent, child safety advocate (not to mention owner of one of these car seats), and trial lawyer, I am continually troubled by the fact that manufacturers continue to sell products that endanger the lives of children. Manufacturers, in their zeal to get products on the market, often cut corners and overlook safety when designing and manufacturing products. Manufacturers have an obligation and opportunity to thoroughly assess product safety before the launch of a product. It should not take a child getting injured for a manufacturer to make a product safe.
The Quinn Law Group, LLC, is a preeminent personal injury law firm with offices conveniently located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Cherry Hill, New Jersey. If you or a loved one has been injured by a dangerous product or through the fault of another, please contact Sean E. Quinn for a free, no-obligation consultation. We are Your Voice. Your Advocate.
