Graco gives in, agrees to recall infant car seats

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DETROIT (AP) — Graco Children’s Products is recalling 1.9
million infant car seats, bowing to demands from U.S. safety
regulators, in what is now the largest seat recall in American history.
The
recall, announced Tuesday, comes after a five-month spat between Graco
and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Earlier this
year the company recalled 4.2 million toddler seats because the harness
buckles can get stuck. But it resisted the agency’s demand to recall the
infant seats.
Buckles 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 argued that infant seats
are used differently, and in an emergency, an adult can remove the whole
seat rather than using the buckle.
When Graco announced the
initial recall 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 buckles on the infant seats.
The letter also accused the
company of soft-pedaling the recall with "incomplete and misleading"
documents that will be seen by consumers. The agency threatened civil
penalties.
But Graco, a division of Atlanta-based Newell
Rubbermaid Inc., told The Associated Press at the time that rear-facing
infant seats weren’t being recalled because infants don’t get food or
drinks on their seats. Graco had agreed to send replacement buckles to
owners of infant seats upon request.
In a June 27 letter to NHTSA,
however, Graco said that further investigation showed a "higher than
typical level of difficulty" in unlatching the infant seat 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 recall to 6.1 million seats, comes after months
of sharing data and research with NHTSA. The company said the recall "is
in the best interest of consumers and underscores our shared commitment
to child passenger safety."
Infant-seat models covered by
Tuesday’s recall 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 will
replace the buckles for free. Graco also is offering to send free
replacement buckles to any customer, even those with seats not being
recalled.
The company says owners can check to see if their seats are included by going to www.GracoBuckleRecall.com or by calling
(877) 766-7470.

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