Graco, a division of Newell Rubbermaid is a leading manufacturer of children’s products. The company makes everything from car seats to baby monitors. New Orleans’ residents may not be aware that last week, the company announced a major recall of some of it’s car seats due to defective harness buckles.
The recall affects the following models that were manufactured between 2009 to 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. The recall is due to a complaint by parents that the buckles are difficult to open. Some parents reported that they had to cut the straps to remove their children from the car seat. The company was sued in a wrongful death suit by the family of a 2-year-old girl who was killed in a fire after a car accident. She was seated in a Graco Nautilus car seat at the time of the accident.
Graco calls the recall an act of extreme caution but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would like to see the recall go further. The safety agency would like to see the recall go even further and include these models: Snugride, Snugride 30, Snugride 32, Infant Safe Seat-Step 1, Snugride 35, Tuetonia 35 and Snugride Click Connect 40.
Parents who are concerned about their children’s car seat may want to contact the company. Consumers who have been injured by the liability of a product may have serious injuries that require long term medical care. To receive full compensation from a manufacturer may require the assistance of a product liability attorney.
Source: www.nytimes.com, “Graco Recalls Car Seats Over Faulty Buckle,” Christoopher Jensen, Feb. 11, 2014.
