Car Seat Poses Safety Hazard

February 2008

Parents – your child’s car seat may not be as safe as you think. Testing conducted by Evenflo Company and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has resulted in the recall of 1 million Evenflo infant car seats that can become separated from their bases in high-impact side collisions.

The following car seat models are subject to the recall: 390, 391, 534, and 552. The seats were manufactured between April 2005 and January 2008. Evenflo is providing current child safety seat owners with a dual-hook fastener to ensure that seats remain attached to their bases. The company asserts that the seat is safe when used without a base.

Evenflo, based in Dayton, Ohio, maintains that all of its other car seats have been proven safe in testing and in real world situations. This report comes days after the NHTSA announced an overhaul of its consumer rating system for child safety seats. The new five-star rating approach will consider the seat’s ability to secure a child, the ease with which the seat is installed, and the seat’s labeling and instruction manuals.