Faulty buckles have resulted in Graco’s Children’s Products Inc. recalling nearly 3.8 million child car seats. The issue is with the harness buckle, which may become stuck, despite pressing the release button. As a result, it could trap children in the seat, which may increase the risk of injury when an emergency situation requires immediate removal of the child.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received 80 complaints from adults having trouble releasing the buckle. In some cases, excessive force had to be used to unlatch it, even requiring some people to cut the straps in order to get the child out.
The recall affects the following models, sold between 2009 and 2013:
- Cozy Cline;
- Comfort Sport;
- Classic Ride 50;
- My Ride 65;
- My Ride with Safety Surround;
- My Ride 70;
- Size 4 Me 70;
- Smartseat;
- Nautilus;
- Nautilus Elite; and
- Argos 70.
Parents should stop using the car seat immediately and contact the manufacturer (Graco) for a remedy.
When a Faulty Child Car Seat Could Lead to a Product Liability Claim
Product defects can be a hassle to consumers after a recall has been issued. Most of the time, it requires the person to stop using the product and either get a free repair kit or bring it back to the retailer for a full refund. Parents with small children often have to deal with the most recalls, like the recent Britax recall on strollers because of partial fingertip amputation.
Fingertip amputations are frightening enough, but recalls on child car seats are often even more dangerous, like in Graco’s case, because a child can be put in mortal danger if a parent cannot remove him or her from a car in the event of an accident.
In those circumstances, there may be additional options available. Consumers may file a claim against the manufacturer or any other party whose negligence contributed to the defect. In order to pursue compensation through a product liability claim, it would need to be demonstrated that the defect is what caused physical harm.
Victims and their families must prove that the injury was significant enough that damages were suffered. To learn more about the right to file a claim, contact an attorney at Gacovino, Lake & Associates who handles product liability claims by emailing us at info@gacovinolake.com.
