Baby Trend Car Seat Recall Reminds Parents: Be Responsible, Be Safe

My grandchildren have brought much joy and much concern about the safety of children’s toys and car seats. Since the arrival of our first granddaughter, our family has weathered the recall woes of Mattel, the Thomas the Train tragedy (no mommy, not that one!), and even a recall of a part on one of the supposedly highest rated car seats on the market.

Today, Baby Trend, Inc. http://www.babytrend.com/ announced the recall of nearly 6,000 Latch-Loc car seats. It seems that the “locking pawl” can detach during a severe crash. This, of course, defeats its purpose and endangers the occupant.

When problems persist to the point that manufacturers are willing to admit some fault, or at least some flaw, these recalls give them an opportunity to issue a warning. As a responsible consumer, it’s important to be aware of these recalls. Not surprisingly, most recalls are not announced on the evening news. You can stay on top of manufacturer notices by checking out these sites on a regular basis. And, always mail in registration cards for products so that when a recall is issued, you can be notified.

Here are some websites that will help you stay informed:


Recalls.gov U.S. Government portal for recall information http://www.recalls.gov/

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls and product safety news site. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerel.html

U.S. Food & Drug Administration recalls, market withdrawals and safety. Alerts .http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.HTML

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service information about recalls and public health alerts that involve meats, poultry and egg products. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_RECALLS/

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) defects and recalls site. http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/

Consumer Affairs.com - an independent Web-based consumer news and resource center. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls/recalls.htm

Consumer Reports blog about safety. http://blogs.consumerreports.org/safety/