Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it is recalling nearly 800,000 child safety seats made by Dorel Juvenile Group. The recall, which affects infant, convertible, and booster seats, was issued because of concerns that the harnesses may not be able to keep children secure. Our Washington DC products liability law firm represents children injured because their child safety seat or another product failed or was defective and we are pleased to hear that steps are being taken to remedy a hazard that could potentially endanger kids and babies.
The recalled child safety restraints were manufactured between May 1, 2008 and April 30, 2009. They were sold under the brands Maxi-Cosi, Safety 1st, Julie Vallese, and Eddie Bauer. There is concern that because the harness locking and release button do not always go back to its locked position, the harness adjustment strap might slip back through the adjuster while a child moves around in the seat. This could loosen the harness, placing the child at serious risk of injury during a traffic crash.
While Dorel says it has received 143 complaints over the front harness loosening, the manufacturer was quick to say that it does not consider the issue to be a safety defect and that no related reports of injuries or deaths have been filed.
DJG says it will give consumers a repair kit to fix the safety issue. Consumers can keep using the DJC child safety restraints before the remedy has been applied, but they should make sure that the lock/release button is securely in the locked position and that the harness is properly adjusted and hasn’t come loose.
Washington DC Personal Injury
A child can die during a DC car crash because he/she was seated in a defective car seat. This is why it is so important that manufacturers make sure their child safety restraints are designed and made properly. Common child safety seat defects:
• Poor construction
• Design defects
• Shell separation
• Harness defects
• Mechanism failures
• Inadequate instructions
• Insufficient testing of seats
Nearly 800,000 Dorel Child-Safety Seats Are Recalled, NY Times, February 14, 2011
Consumer Advisory: Dorel Recalling Nearly 800,000 Child Safety Seats For Safety Harness Issue, NHTSA, February 14, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Child Safety Seats, US Department of Transportation
Related Web Resources:
Drop-Side Cribs No Longer Allowed, Rules CPSC, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, December 22, 2010
Preventing Washington DC Injuries to Children: Graco Strollers, Fisher-Price Toys, and Drop-Side Cribs by Ethan Allen, Victory Land, and Angel Line Among Latest Recalls Issued, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, October 23, 2010
CPSC Recalls “ChildESIGNS” and Generation 2 Worldwide Drop-Side Cribs Following Three Child Deaths, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, February 10, 2010
Contact our Washington DC child accident law firm today.