SALTVILLE, Va. -- Saltville Police Chief Rob Hall sounded the alert Monday about an infant car seat recall.
Hall said the company Britax Child Safety Inc. “is recalling certain Chaperone infant child restraint systems produced from Sept. 1, 2010, through April 30, 2011. The harness adjuster can detach from the seat shell. Should the harness adjuster detach from the seat, the child will not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury or death.”
A Britax notice said the voluntary recall includes Chaperone Infant Car Seat models E9L692J, E9L692K, E9L692L, and E9L692M.
“The rivet used to attach the harness adjuster to the shell may have been improperly installed,” Britax said. “Should the harness adjuster detach from the infant car seat shell the harness straps will not properly secure the child, resulting in increased risk of injury in a vehicle crash.”
The Charlotte, N.C., company said if the harness adjuster detaches, “please discontinue use of the product immediately and contact our Customer Service Department at 1-888-427-4829.”
The company said it is providing “a remedy kit including a harness adjuster clip and instructions for properly installing it. All Chaperone Infant Car Seat owners should confirm whether their child restraint is affected by verifying the date of manufacture and model number. No later than February 6, 2012, remedy kits and instructions for using them will begin shipping to all registered Chaperone Infant Car Seat owners with affected seats. Consumers who have not registered their product or need to verify existing registration should contact the BRITAX information line, toll free at (888) 427-4829 between 8:30 am - 4:45 pm (EST) Monday – Thursday, between 8:30 am - 3:45 pm (EST) on Friday or visit www.britaxusa.com” and follow the Safety Notice link.
Britax products are sold online and through physical retailers including Babies R Us, the nearest of which to this area are two stores in Hickory, N.C., according to retailer lists on another Britax website.
Britax said the current recall is voluntary “in accordance with the requirements of the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”
The NHTSA said Friday the safety recall involves 14,220 Chaperone Infant Car Seats sold in the U.S.
NHTSA said although it was “unaware of any deaths or injuries related to the issue, the defect can result in ineffective safety harness straps.”
NHTSA said the recall “is intended to address a defective rivet that attaches the harness adjuster to the car seat. The defective rivet can cause the harness adjuster to detach from the seat, rendering the safety harness straps used to secure an infant in the seat unable to properly restrain the child.”
The safety administration said owners of the seats “whose harness adjuster is detached from the seat are advised to stop using the device immediately and to contact Britax to have the issue resolved.” It said the “harness adjuster is located at the foot of the car seat and can be easily accessed by lifting the fabric and checking that the adjuster is secured in place by the rivet.”
Asked for a list of retailers and other information Monday, a Britax contact responded only with a referral to www.chaperoneseatrecall.com, a website referencing a previous recall of Chaperone infant car seats. In 2010, the company sought to remedy failures of a chest clip made brittle by incorrect manufacturing.
“As a result,” the 2010 notice said, “the chest clip which positions the harness straps across the infant’s shoulders may break when the chest clip is engaged as the infant is secured into the infant car seat. The sharp edges of the broken chest clip create a risk of a skin laceration and the fractured components of the chest clip may present a small parts/choking hazard.”
In that instance as in the current recall, Britax offered a free remedy kit.
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