Graco buckle recall: Find out if your car seat is among 1.9 million recalled
| DETROIT
Graco聽Children's Products is聽recalling聽1.9 million infant car seats, bowing to demands from U.S. safety regulators, in what is now the largest seat聽recall聽in American history.
The聽recall, announced Tuesday, comes after a five-month spat between聽Graco聽and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Earlier this year the company聽recalled聽4.2 million toddler seats because the harness聽buckles聽can get stuck. But it resisted the agency's demand to聽recall聽the infant seats.
Buckles聽can get gummed up by food and drinks, and that could make it hard to remove children. In some cases parents had to cut harnesses to get their kids out. The agency says that increases the risk of injuries in emergencies.
Graco聽argued that infant seats are used differently, and in an emergency, an adult can remove the whole seat rather than using the聽buckle.
When聽Graco聽announced the initial聽recall聽in February, NHTSA sent the company a sternly worded letter questioning why the infant seats weren't included. The agency said parents have filed complaints with the agency and the company about stuck聽buckles聽on the infant seats.
The letter also accused the company of soft-pedaling the聽recall聽with "incomplete and misleading" documents that will be seen by consumers. The agency threatened civil penalties.
But聽Graco, a division of Atlanta-based Newell Rubbermaid Inc., told The Associated Press at the time that rear-facing infant seats weren't being聽recalled聽because infants don't get food or drinks on their seats.聽Graco聽had agreed to send replacement聽buckles聽to owners of infant seats upon request.
In a June 27 letter to NHTSA, however,聽Graco聽said that further investigation showed a "higher than typical level of difficulty" in unlatching the infant seat聽buckles.
The company says there have been no injuries reported because of the problem. Spokeswoman Ashley Mowrey said in a statement that Tuesday's move, which brings the聽recall聽to 6.1 million seats, comes after months of sharing data and research with NHTSA. The company said the聽recall聽"is in the best interest of consumers and underscores our shared commitment to child passenger safety."
Infant-seat models covered by Tuesday's聽recall聽include the SnugRide, SnugRide Classic Connect (including Classic Connect 30 and 35), SnugRide 30, SnugRide 35, SnugRide Click Connect 40, and Aprica A30. They were manufactured between July 2010 and May 2013, according to NHTSA.
Graco聽will replace the聽buckles聽for free.聽Graco聽also is offering to send free replacement聽buckles聽to any customer, even those with seats not being聽recalled.
The company says owners can check to see if their seats are included by going to聽聽or by calling (877) 766-7470.
