Saturday, March 06, 2010
A POPULAR baby car seat has been recalled by its manufacturer amid fears that a problem with its base would compromise the child’s safety in the event of an accident.
Dorel, the world’s biggest manufacturer of nursery products, has recalled the Maxi-Cosi FAMILYFIX base after an internal safety audit identified a potential problem in the mechanical attachment of the IsoFix connectors to the base.
Dorel managing director, Andrew Ratcliffe, said the issue was identified during a normal quality check and because the product was already on the market, they felt obliged to recall it. "Car seats are subject to particularly rigorous and fairly vicious crash tests and this base would not have complied with safety requirements," Mr Ratcliffe said.
As many as 4,500 of the seats have been sold in Britain, but Mr Ratcliffe said the number was much smaller in Ireland.
"We sold 659 car seats to Irish stores but because it was only launched recently, the vast majority are still in the shops and warehouses. We believe approximately 120 are with consumers in Ireland," Mr Ratcliffe said.
Most of the seats purchased by Irish consumers were pre-ordered and therefore, easier to trace.
Of those that were sold off the shelf, Mr Ratcliffe said they were actively trying to track down the remaining customers through its publicly-announced recall and via internet activity.
Mr Ratcliffe said the faulty product had been supplied to Mothercare and "most independent nursery stores" in Ireland.
Consumers who purchased this particular model are advised to return it to the store for a safety check. Alternatively, Dorel will arrange to collect, check and return the product in a matter of days.
Consumers are advised to contact Maxi-Cosi Customer Care on 01842 763281. Information can be obtained from www.maxi-cosi.com
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