Two more child safety seat recalls

Two weeks ago, we reported the recall of 121,109 Britax Decathlon child safety seats.  Today, we have two new recalls to report. The first is a large recall involving several different models made by Dorel Juvenile Group--nearly 1.3 million total. The second recall is of 276,921 Graco Comfortsport 5-point harness convertible seats.

The Dorel recall involves Cosco, Eddie Bauer and Safety 1st car seats (see the list below for specific models) made between November 2003 and December 2005. The models in question are being recalled because the harness adjustment strap can loosen while in use.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), "in the event of a crash, the child may not be properly restrained, possibly resulting in an increased risk of injury."

Dorel says that it has received reports of center front adjusters slipping on other models, but the complaint rate is higher on the models being recalled. Dorel suggested several reasons for that, including the fact that the recalled models are convertible and can be used in the infant rear-facing mode. That may put different stresses on the center front adjusters, Dorel told NHTSA. Additionally, the company said, on a limited number of center front adjusters, the gripping teeth were damaged in the manufacturing process. "While this damage should not, standing alone, allow slippage, it may make it more likely," Dorel said.

Additionally, the company said slippage is more likely when there is a lot of dirt, food and/or sticky gummy liquid residue on the strap. That's one reason why the company is including a cleaning brush and cleaning instructions in its remedy kit for the recalled car safety seats.

Dorel will contact all registered owners and provide them with information on how to obtain a free repair kit to replace the harness adjustment strap. Those consumers who have not registered their product should visit www.djgusa.com or call 800-219-0509 to order a free repair kit. Until the kit is installed, parents should be sure to adjust the harness adjuster strap snugly each time they put their child in the child restraint and if they have difficulty adjusting the strap or if it won't stay tight, Dorel suggests using a different child seat until the repair kit has been installed.

The specific models are:

•     Cosco: Alpha Omega, Alpha Omega Elite: 22150, 22155, 22180, 22269
•     Eddie Bauer: 3-in-1, Deluxe 3-in-1, Deluxe Convertible: 22740, 22750, 22755, 22756, 22757, 22770
•      Safety 1st : Alpha Elite, Alpha Omega, Alpha Omega Elite, Intera, Enspira: 22151, 22450, 22451, 22452, 22453, 22455, 22460, 22480, 22481

Even if you don't have these models, you should take this recall as good advice—and be vigilant about keeping the straps of your car seat clean.

Graco Comfortsport recall

The Graco recall involves certain Graco Comfortsport 5-point harness convertible (rear/forward facing) child restraints manufactured from January 2 through July 31, 2007. The model numbers are: 8629TWL, 8631DFT, 8631DRA, 8632PSO, 8635TAC, 8639COS, 8C00BLG, 8C00DMN, 8C00GRP, 8C00LNW, 8C00MID, 8C00TMB, 8C01SVD, 8C01WTN, 8C02MGI, 8C02MRC, 8C03HAL, 8C03WCF, 8C04FRR, 8433FOF, and 8630MTR.

During production, the LATCH lower anchorage belt in some of these child restraint systems was incorrectly routed. As a result, when these child restraint systems are used in the rear-facing mode, attached with the lower anchorage belt, they fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standards because the seat back angle of the child restraint can exceed 70 degrees in a frontal crash. This increased rotation may increase the risk of injury to the child.

Consumers should not use the seat in the rear-facing position with LATCH until the belt routing has been inspected and, if necessary, corrected. The vehicle seatbelt can be used instead of LATCH in the meantime. However, consumers who have rerouted their lower anchorage belt according to the instruction manual for use in the forward-facing mode are not affected by the safety notice.

Graco will notify registered owners and provide detailed instructions for examining the lower anchorage belt routing and, if necessary, reconfiguring the incorrectly routed belt. Owners can contact Graco at 800-345-4109. Parents who did not mail in their registration card are advised to call the company or visit its web site for further information including visual aids.

Graco indicates that if you are unsure of the routing instructions, or until you can make the change, that seats can be used in the rear-facing mode when installed using the vehicle seatbelt instead of LATCH.

Graco also notes that the recall does not affect seats being used in the forward-facing mode as the belt routing would have already been changed by the consumer following the instruction manual.

NOTE: Consumer Reports featured the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite #22155 in an earlier report.