Car seats are used to protect children while driving in a car with their parents. Parents go to great lengths to properly install and buckle their children into the seat before driving away from home. When there is a defect in that car seat, children can be at risk despite the care of their parents.
Earlier this year, car seat maker Graco recalled over four million car seats. The reason for the recall was the defective harness buckle. The buckles often got gummed up with food and drinks which made the harnesses difficult to open. In an emergency, the harness was particularly difficult to open which increased the possibility of injury. The initial recall did not include rear-facing infant car seats because the manufacturer stated that the occupants of these seats did not eat and drink as toddlers.
Graco, owned by parent company Newell Rubbermaid Inc, has now included infant car seats in its recall. With the addition of the infant seats, the recall is now up to 6.1 million car seats. This makes the Graco recall the largest in history. The car seats that are now included in the recall were manufactured between July 2010 and May 2013. Consumers that own one of these car seats can contact the company for replacement buckles by visiting www.GracoBuckleRecall.com or by calling 504-264-9915
Though no injuries have been reported with this recall, this is not always the case with recalls. Defective drugs and devices can do irreparable harm to victims. The state of Louisiana allows victims to file law suits for product liability. Attorneys that specialize in defective products may be able to help recover compensation.
Source: WSFA, “Graco gives in, agrees to recall infant car seats,” by Tom Krisher, April 24, 2015
