Graco Children’s Products, Inc. and Britax Child Safety, Inc. have each recently issued safety alerts related to certain models of child safety seats for automobiles.
Affected Graco seats have misrouted lower anchor belts — a flaw that could prevent the seat from remaining firmly restrained in the event of a collision, and potentially lead to serious injuries. On affected units, the lower anchorage belt was mistakenly routed behind the shoulder portion of the harness rather than under the buckle portion of the harness. These seats are not being recalled, but the manufacturer has issued a safety notice and instructions for re-routing the lower belt.
The Britax seats are being recalled because under certain circumstances, when the harness adjuster strap is pulled from an angle, the bezel may separate from the restraint shell, causing difficulty with the proper adjustment of the harness. This difficulty may lead to improper usage or adjustment, and a loose-fitting belt may ultimately cause injuries in the event of an accident.
The Graco alert involves the following model numbers:
8629TWL, 8630MTR, 8631DFT, 8631DRA, 8632PSO, 8635TAC, 8639COS, 8C00BLG, 8C00DMN, 8C00GRP, 8C00LNW, 8C00MID, 8C00TBM, 8C01SVD, 8C01WTN, 8C02MGI, 8C02MRC, 8C03HAL, 8C03WCF, 8C04FRR, and 8433FOF.
The Britax recall involves seats bearing a model number E9L47, and sold between February 12, 2005 and July 31, 2007.
For more information regarding the Graco safety concerns, consumers should consult the following repair instructions, and take note that the seats are not actually being recalled, as they can easily be repaired by consumers.
For more information on the Britax recall, consumers are instructed to contact the Britax information line at 1-800-683-2045 or to visit www.DecathlonRecall.com to order a repair kit.
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