FYI: Car Seat Recall Information
After at least 160 infants were injured after falling from their car seat when a faulty handle released unexpectedly, Evenflo Company Inc. recalled some 450,000 Embrace Car Seat-Carriers.
The injuries to very young children ranged from scrapes and bruises to concussions and a skull fracture, the company said.
The faulty seats were all made before April 8, 2006, and owners of an Evenflo car seat who think theirs may be affected should check a white label that can be found on the bottom of the seat.
If you think you own a recalled seat:
The recalled car seats have model numbers beginning with 317, 320, 397, 398, 540, 548, 549, 550, 556, 597, 598 or 599. Other numbers may follow these numbers. Find the model number and production date under the carrier.When and where were the seats sold?Consumers should not use the handle until the repair kit has been installed, according to the company. The product can continue to be used as a car seat when secured in a vehicle, but not when being carried by hand.
Contact Evenflo to receive a free repair kit that strengthens the handle latch. Recall notice will be sent to all registered owners of the recalled product. The recalled units should not be returned to the retailer.
May department stores and several juvenile products stores across the United States sold the carriers.For additional information:They were generally purchased between December 2004 and September of 2004.
Contact Evenflo at 800.490.7497 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET weekdays or visit the recall Web site. For the press release by the Consumer Product and Safety Commission, click here. For other recalls of infant products, go to Defective Baby Products. Before buying an infant car seat, check out this guide to car safety seats by the American Academy of Pediatrics or this guide from the Baby Center. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at 800.638.2772 or visit CPSC's Web site.