Dunnes recalls baby car seat

A BABY car seat sold by Dunnes Stores has been recalled because it may not provide safe restraint.

The supermarket only published their “product recall” notice in some national newspapers yesterday to alert consumers about the product.

Dunnes Stores refused to say how many of the seats, on sale since February 2007, have been sold and how many may be considered unsafe. Dunnes refused to make any comment last night.

The €39.95 price tag for the product was extremely attractive as well-known brands range between €80 and €279.

In their published notice, Dunnes Stores states that it has “come to their attention” that the red and black Remi 2 Travel Basic Baby Car Seat may be faulty.

It points out the seat may not be able to provide a “safe restraint” if the seat straps can be removed and then re-threaded.

The advertisement shows a picture of the seat and close-ups of two seat straps. It points out that the end of one not doubled over and stitched is not compliant.

Consumers are advised to check their car seat and to discontinue using it if they find that the strap can be removed and re-threaded. The notice says the faulty product can be returned to the nearest Dunnes Stores outlet for a full refund.

Road Safety Authority spokesman Brian Farrell said they would encourage anyone who bought the car seat to check it immediately and, if it was faulty, to return it to Dunnes Stores.

“If you are in any doubt, go to Dunnes Stores with the car seat and ask them to check it for you,” he advised.

“We would always recommend that whenever you are buying a child car seat that you buy one from a retailer who will check that it is suitable for the child’s weight and height and fits correctly in your car.”

Mr Farrell said parents and guardians should ensure child car seats were suitable for the car because they were not made to fit every car model. “On our own Check it Fits Roadshow, where we provide parents and guardians an opportunity to have their child car seat checked to see it is fitted correctly, we find that almost eight out of 10 are fitted incorrectly or are simply incompatible with the car,” he said.

Parents must ensure that child safety seats were suitable for the car; were suitable for the child and that the child was fitted tightly in the harness. Ensuring that a child is properly restrained can reduce injuries by between 90% to 95% for rear-facing seats and 60% for forward-facing seats.

Mr Farrell also warned against moving a child from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing one too soon.

“A parent should not think about moving their child to a forward-facing seat until they are at least a year old,” he said.

All children under the age of 11 or 12 (upper limit is 150cm in height and 36kg in weight) should be in an appropriate child car seat and parents should also ensure it conforms to EU safety standards.