Massive Recall Covers 850,000 Child Safety Restraints
If you are a parent with small children, it is likely that you consider your child's car seat an invaluable piece of safety equipment. Parents across Georgia buckle up their children in a car safety seat everyday presuming the child restraint system will protect their child in the event of a serious car accident.
Sadly, some car seats are built with manufacturing defects or design flaws that leave children dangerously exposed to injury in the event of an Atlanta motor vehicle accident or a crash anywhere throughout Georgia. While parents may presume that it is rare that a car seat is designed or manufactured with flaws that expose children to serious injury, a widespread recent recall of car seats suggests otherwise. Four separate car seat manufacturers have announced a widespread recall that affects an estimated 850,000 car seats nationwide.
The four child safety restraint manufacturers involved in the recall are Evenflo, Britax, Dorel Juvenile Group and Regal Lager. The specific product defects of the child safety restraint systems are indicated below:
Britax: The Britax child restraint systems being recalled include four separate models that were sold under the brand name Chaperone. The models are Cowmooflage, Red Mill, Savannah and Moonstone. The shoulder straps could snap in a car accident. The covered car seats were manufactured between April 2009 and May 2010. If you have one of the child restraints covered in the recall, you should contact Britax at 1-888-427-4829 so the company can provide a free replacement component.
Evenflo: The child restraints being recalled were sold under the name Maestro with a model number beginning with 310. The car seats could crack when subjected to the force of impact from a collision because they do not meet federal standards. The applicable restraints were produced between November 2009 and April 2010. Users should discontinue use of the restraint and call 1-800-233-5921 for a free reinforcement plate which will correct the defect.
Regal Lager: The recalled child restraint was marketed under the name Cybex Solution X-Fix. The car seat was marked with the wrong warning label, but the correct label can be obtained by calling 1-800-593-5522.
Dorel Juvenile Group: The recall applies to car seats with the following designations Alpha Omega Elite, Enspira, Prospect, Alpha Omega, Onboard, Priori, Mico and Vantage. The affected car seats were manufactured between 2008 and 2009 with the exception of the Maxi-Cosi car which was produced between February and June 2008. The recall covers 55 models of car seats because the harness release button may get jammed. The recall has been announced on the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NTHSA). If you purchased a car seat subject to the recall you should discontinue use of the car seat and call 1-866-623-3139 to obtain a free repair kit.
As the recalls above reflect, there are many unsafe car seats that make it to market and into the vehicles of parents. The defects may involve a wide range of hazards including:
- Buckles that may become easily unfastened
- Weak plastic parts that break
- The shell of the car seat may lack sufficient structural strength
- Straps may lack strength and tear
- Car seats may lack sufficient padding
A defective child safety restraint system can pose an enormous risk by creating a false sense of security. There is no greater tragedy for a parent than serious injury or the wrongful death of one’s child. If your child has been injured in a car accident anywhere in Atlanta or throughout Georgia, our experienced Atlanta car accident lawyers represent those injured in motor vehicle collisions with dignity, compassion and tenacity. Our Georgia defective car seat accident lawyers are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.