Child car seats recalled for sticky buckle

Most parents in the Pittsburgh area want to do everything they possibly can to keep their children safe. For the very young this includes protecting them from car accidents by regularly using a car seat. To make sure they are purchasing the safest seat possible, many parents will scour the car seat safety ratings put out by various organizations. Despite doing this, there are times when issues with the car seat will prompt a recall. One such recall was recently announced.

The child car seats involved in the recall are all sold under the Graco name and contain harnesses as part of the design. In total, 11 models and 3.7 million car seats are a part of the current recall. The child car seats were manufactured between 2009 and 2013.

The reason behind the recall is an issue with the buckle. The button that when depressed releases the harness, sometimes sticks or is difficult to unlatch. According to Graco, the issue becomes worse when food or liquid gets stuck in the button. While the product defect does not appear to impact the way in which the seat performs in a collision situation, problems could occur should it become necessary to quickly get a child out of the seat. Graco is offering a replacement harness buckle at no cost, for those who own any of the recalled seats

At this point is does not appear that any children have been injured as a result of the sticky buckle. When injuries do occur because of a problem with a product, it is possible that a product’s liability lawsuit could be filed.

Source: CNN, “3.7 million Graco car seats recalled due to buckle issue,” Greg Botelho and Mike Ahlers, Feb. 11, 2014