Consumer Reports tests prompt recall of Britax B-Nimble stroller

A voluntary recall of the Britax B-Nimble, an umbrella stroller that Consumer Reports designated a Don't Buy: Safety Risk in April 2011 (and in the May 2011 issue of Consumer Reports), was announced yesterday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada. The stroller was recalled by its manufacturer, Britax Child Safety, Inc. of North Carolina. A problem with the brakes—discovered by Consumer Reports' testing—was given as the reason for the recall.

In CR's tests last spring, we found that the $200 Britax B-Nimble's brakes sometimes fail to engage even after a user pushes down on the brake pedal, hears an audible click, and observes that the pedal remains depressed. When the brake is not engaged, the recall notice explains, the stroller can move unexpectedly, posing a risk of injury to the child occupant.

In April, we shared our test findings and analysis with the CPSC as well as Britax Child Safety, Inc. Britax president Jon Chamberlain disputed our findings, stating in an email, "We do not believe that the results of Consumer Union [sic] testing are indicative of a safety issue with our stroller." He went on to say that the "audible click heard is not intended to indicate that the parking brake is engaged or locked." However, we believe that the audible click heard upon stepping on the brake lever may cause users to think that the parking brake is engaged when it's not. If you park the stroller on a surface that's not level, it could roll, with baby on board, into harm's way. According to the June 23, 2011 CPSC recall notice, Britax has received seven reports of the brake not being fully engaged, though no injuries have been reported. We don't know if the reports were received by Britax after our story was published.

The B-Nimble stroller uses linked brakes that are fairly common in umbrella strollers, which are designed to be light, portable, and easy to fold. When a user presses down on either of the two brake pedals in the rear, both rear wheels should be immobilized. In our tests of three B-Nimble samples, this did not always occur. We did not find a similar brake problem with any of the 28 other umbrella strollers we tested, 11 of which had linked brakes. For more on our tests and findings, see the original post.

For shopping tips and advice on safe strollers to choose from, see our strollers buying advice and complete stroller Ratings (available to subscribers).