Car seat safety is something most parents take pretty seriously.
After all, the car seat you choose is responsible for keeping your baby safe on the roads.
Car seat manufacturer Britax has recently announced a recall affecting over 70,000 infant car seats.
Britax is recalling the car seats in the US after they became aware of a fault with the handles on the seats.
The Britax B-Safe 35 and B-Safe 35 Elite infant car seats and travel systems are affected by the recall. Specifically those manufactured between 1 October 2014 and 1 July 2015. The Britax car seats were sold at Babies R Us, Amazon, Target and other retailers. The seats retailed for between $210 and $250.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall on Thursday 21 January. The recall notice states, “The car seat carry handle can crack and break allowing the seat to fall unexpectedly, posing a risk of injury to the infant.”
The Britax website states that the fault “does not affect the safety performance of the seat when used in a motor vehicle. It is safe for consumers to continue to use their car seat when secured in a vehicle or on a stroller.”
The products have been recalled after 74 reports of handles developing cracks or breaking while being carried. For any parent who has ever lugged a car seat containing a sleeping baby either in or out of the house, it’s not hard to understand why the seats are being recalled. One baby suffered a bump to the head after the car seat fell to the floor when the handle broke.
Britax will be sending handle reinforcement kits out at no charge to those affected. For those affected, the car seats should not be lifted by the handle until the reinforcement kit has been installed.
Models affected by the recall include:
- B-Safe 35: E9LU65M, E9LU65P, E9LU63F, E9LU66R, E9LS63F, EXLU65M
- B-Safe 35 Elite: E9LS55T, E9LS56P, E9LS55U, E9LS66C, E9LS65U
- B-Safe 35 Travel System: S914900, S915400, S915200, S921900, S01635200
You can find out if your product is affected by the recall by entering the model number on the Britax website. You can find the model number on the date of manufacture sticker located on the back of the seat.
If your car seat is one of those affected, you should contact Britax customer services for support on 800-683-2045 or email britax.recall@britax.com.
Recommended Reading: If your little one cries when it’s time to get in the car, take a look at BellyBelly’s article Baby Hates The Car Seat? 9 Survival Tips.
