Diono Car Seat Recall Issued Due to Chest Injury Risk for Children Over 65 Pounds

A recall has been issued for nearly 520,000 convertible Diono car seats, due to a risk that problems with the restraints may may cause larger children to face an increased risk of severe head or chest injury in an auto accident.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the car seat recall last week, impacting six different models of manufactured by Diono, which was formerly known as Sunshine Kids Juvenile, including the Radian R100, Radian R120, Radian RXT, Olympia, Pacifica, and Rainier convertible and booster seats.

Testing suggests that the car seats may not provide proper chest restraints for children. When the safety seats are installed facing-forward in vehicles with only a type 1 lap-belt, and without a top tether, excessive g-forces may be applied to children’s chests in a crash and may cause the child to suffer whiplash.

On June 7, 2017, Diono began conducting routine testing involving a crash test dummy, designed to simulate a three-year-old child, strapped in the car seat using the lap belt. All tests resulted in excessive chest acceleration during crashes with children weighing 65 pounds or more, indicating the child would have sustained serious injuries to the chest and head. Additional testing found excessive head excursion for dummy models up to ten years old using the same type 1 lap belts only.

As a result of the testing, the manufacturer determined individuals using any of six convertible car seats with only the lap belt and not in conjunction with the use of a tether are not in compliance with federal safety standards for car seats.

Any of the recalled convertible child seats that are being used with both a type 1 lap-belt and either the shoulder safety belt or with Diono’s SuperLATCH system, or top tether are not out of federal safety standard compliance.

The NHTSA recall notice indicates an estimated 519,052 units that were sold throughout the United States. Units distributed for sale to Canada are not included in this recall.

Diono is scheduled to begin sending owners a kit with an energy absorbing pad and a new chest clip at no cost to mitigate the excessive chest injury risks. The recall is anticipated to start on November 22, 2017. Customers with further questions may contact Diono at 855-463-4666.