1.2M Infant Safety Seats Recalled

Dorel Juvenile Group Inc. is recalling 1.2 million infant safety seats because the plastic handle locks can unexpectedly break, a problem which has caused at least nine injuries.

Combination infant carrier and car seats sold under the Cosco Arriva and Turnabout brand names and manufactured before January 2000 are affected in the voluntary recall, which was announced Wednesday by Dorel, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Dorel has received 416 complaints and nine reports of injuries because of broken handles on the seats. The injuries included bruises or scratches to the head and face.

All of the injuries occurred when the seat was being used as a carrier. Dorel said it is still safe to use the product as a car seat.

This is the second time Dorel has voluntarily recalled the Cosco Arriva and Turnabout car seats for the same problem. In 1999, Dorel recalled 670,000 seats that were made between March 1995 and September 1997.

Last year, Dorel also recalled 26,000 Safety 1st and Beatrix Potter "Designer 22" seats for the same handle problem.

In this recall, seats sold nationwide between September 1997 and December 2000 are affected. The seats cost between $30 and $60 when sold alone or $90 to $140 when sold with strollers.

Owners can obtain a free repair kit from Dorel by calling the company's recall hotline or by going to its Web site.