Recall: 3.8 Million Car Safety Seats

Graco is recalling 3.8 million car safety seats due to a buckle that may not unlatch. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warned that the buckle may make it “difficult to remove the child from the restraint, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a vehicle crash, fire or other emergency.”

The NHTSA has said that some consumers have had to cut the straps to remove children from the car seat.

The recall includes 11 models made from 2009 to 2013 by Graco Children’s Products Inc. of Atlanta. The models are Cozy Cline, Comfort Sport, Classic Ride 50, My Ride 65, My Ride 70, My Ride 65 with Safety Surround, Size4Me 70, My Size 70, Head Wise 70, Smart Seat, Nautilus 3-in-1, Nautilus Elite and Argos.

According to the NHTSA this is the fourth largest recall of child seats in the U.S. and the is recommending that another seven infant car seats models that use the same buckles should also be recalled. They also began an investigation of EvenFlo child safety seats which have a similar design to the recalled buckles and may use buckles by the same manufacturer, AmSafe Commerical Products, Inc.

Graco has reported that food or beverages can make the harness buckle sticky and harder to use over time. They have not recalled the rear facing infant models because infants do not get food or drinks on their seat according to a Graco spokesperson.

Graco has released cleaning tips for the buckles and began sending replacement buckles to owners last year with instruction on how to replace them. They also have reported that there have no reported injuries from the defective buckle.

Parents should check seat buckles and contact Graco for a replacement if they have not already received one . See photo below for recalled buckles:

For more information visit: http://autos.yahoo.com/news/graco-recalling-nearly-3-8m-190204447.html?vp=1