What Happened
Approximately 4 million Eddie Bauer and Cosco branded car seats were recalled in the United States by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Dorel Juvenile Group due to faulty restraints.
The NHTSA and Dorel have also recalled an additional 23,000 Maxi-Cosi car seats because of a problem with the seat not locking onto the base.
What This Means
Of the more than 4 million car seats recalled, more than 3.95 million of those were included because the tether webbing fails to meet federal abrasion requirements, meaning that if the webbing of the seat harness degrades beyond what is permitted according to federal standards, the harness may no longer be strong enough to protect a child in a crash, thus increasing the risk of injury.
Car seat models included in the tether abrasion-related recall are:
- Cosco Alpha/Omega
- Cosco Hi Back
- Cosco Touriva
- Eddie Bauer Hi Back
- Eddie Bauer Touriva
The recalled seats were manufactured between January 1, 2000, and September 30, 2001. To learn if your car seat was included in this recall, go to http://safetynotice.djgusa.com/conv_tether/inspection.php.
An additional 54,000 Cosco Hi Back and Touriva car seats were recalled because the UV stabilizer used in the webbing may not adequately protect the harness from deterioration by ultraviolet rays, meaning that the harness may no longer be strong enough to protect a child in a crash, thus increasing the risk of injury.
The car seats included in the UV exposure recall were made between March 15, 2002, and August 1, 2002. To see if your car seat was included in this recall, go to http://safetynotice.djgusa.com/conv_harness/inspection.php.
Finally, almost 23,000 Maxi-Cosi Infant Restraint Systems were recalled because of a failure of the car seat to fully lock despite being latched onto the base. The Maxi-Cosi Infant Child Restraint Systems affected include:
- Maxi-Cosi Mico Infant Child Restraint System, Models 22-371 and 22-372
- Maxi-Cosi Infant Child Restraint System, Base Only Model 22-515
The seats included in this recall were maded between February 18, 2008, and June 28, 2008. To learn if your car seat was included in this recall, go to http://safetynotice.djgusa.com/mico/.
No injuries were reported in any of these recalls.
Where These Products Were Sold
Retailers nationwide.
What to Do Next
In the Cosco and Eddie Bauer tether abrasion-related recall, Dorel will provide free replacement kits for the tether along with repair instructions. In the Cosco UV exposure-related recall, Dorel will provide free replacement kits for the harnesses as well as repair instructions.
For the Cosco and Eddie Bauer car seat recalls, call the Dorel Juvenile Group toll-free at (866) 690-2539 or go to www.djgusa.com/safety_notice.
In the Maxi-Cosi Mico recall, Dorel will provide a free repair kit for the base. Until owners of the recalled model receive the kit, they can continue to use their current car seat safely by pulling up on the carrier to confirm it is engaged with the base.
For the Maxi-Cosi car seat recall, call the Dorel Juvenile Group: (877) 657-9546, 8 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. ET Monday-Friday, or go to www.djgusa.com/safety_notice.
For More Information
Recall dates: January 18, 2010 (tether abrasion and harness UV exposure); February 5, 2010 (Maxi-Cosi)
