Graco has recalled 3.7 million child’s car seats. Children in affected seats may get trapped by buckles that get stuck in the latched position. The buckle cannot be unlatched by pressing in the release button.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received over 80 complaints about the seats buckles. Parents have had to use excessive force to unlatch children, in extreme cases, cutting the straps to free them.
Graco has identified the cause being that “food and dried liquids that can make some harness buckles progressively more difficult to open over time or become stuck in the latched position.” Graco says that this does not affect the performance of the car seat or the effectiveness of the buckle to restrain children.
The recall includes 13 models sold from 2009 to 2013. The affected models include: Toddler Convertible Car Seats- Cozy Cline, Comfort Sport, Classic Ride 50, My Ride 65, My Ride 70, My Ride 65 with Safety Surround, Size4Me 70, My Size 70, Head Wise 70, Smart Seat, and, Harnessed Booster Seats- Nautilus 3-in-1, Nautilus Elite, and Argos.
Graco suggests cleaning your harness buckle if you are experiencing problems. Instructions with how to clean your buckle can be found here.
GracoBaby will be contacting all customers who registered their car seats with them. They plan on sending free replacement buckles to correct the problem. If you are unsure if your car seat is affected, or if you have other questions, you can contact Graco at 1-800-345-4109 or the NHTSA’s hotline at 1-888-327-4236.
Currently infant car seats are not included in the recall.
