Britax Chaperone Infant Car Seat Recall: Chest Harness May Break

About 23,000 Britax Chaperone infant car seats have been recalled after reports that the chest harness clip may break. 

The car seat recall was announced on Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) after the manufacturer, Britax Child Safety, Inc., received four reports of broken chest clips. In three of the cases, infants suffered minor lacerations and scratches, and in one report the infant placed the broken clip into his mouth.

The CPSC has determined that the clip poses a laceration hazard, and it is also a choking hazard due to its small size. There have been no serious injuries reported in connection with the defective car seats.

According to the NHTSA’s recall warning the chest clip was incorrectly produced, creating the possibility that the clips were more brittle than intended. Neither agency addressed whether the broken clip impacted the effectiveness of the car seat in an auto accident.

The recall affects about 23,000 Britax Chaperone infant car seats with model numbers E9L95P2 Red Mill, E9L95P3 Savannah, E9L95P5 Cowmooflage, and E9L69N9 Moonstone. The recalled car seats were manufactured between April 2009 and May 2010. A label on the underside of the car seat includes the serial number, model number and manufacture date.

The defective car seats were sold at retailers nationwide and on the Britax website for about $230 from June 2009 until October 2010.

The CPSC recommends that consumers who have a car seat affected by the recall immediately contact Britax for a free repair kit and replacement chest harness clip. The company has contacted registered owners to alert them of the recall. Consumers with questions should contact Britax at www.britax.com.