So here's the good news to start; while Britax has recalled over 200,000 car seats, there have been no reported incidents of injury. The safety recall was a precautionary measure. Now the bad news; if you want a refund for your recalled Britax car seat, you might be disappointed.
Britax has recalled car seat models B-Safe 35, B-Safe 35 Elite and BOB B-Safe 35 seats made from Nov. 1, 2015 to May 31, 2017, because of a safety issue with the chest clips. It seems that no child has been injured, but the company reported that three children were found to have the loosened clip in their mouths. A representative for Britax released this statement to Romper on Thursday regarding the recall:
In its continued commitment to child passenger safety, Britax is sending a replacement chest clip made from a different material to all registered users of the affected infant car seats and also to those who order the free kit at www.bsafe35clip.com. Consumers can continue to safely use the affected car seats as long as they remove the chest clip or monitor the center tab of the chest clip for signs of breakage. The chest clip is not a required safety device: it is added to the harness system to help position the shoulder straps.
“Our mission is to deliver safe products parents can depend on and we are committed to doing better by bringing new insights and thinking to everything we do, which includes making significant investments in our technology as well as research and development.”
-Maria Montaño, president of Britax Americas
Because the Britax recalled car seats are still considered structurally sound, no refunds are being offered at this time. The company is sending out replacement chest clips with step-by-step instructions to everyone whose car seat has been recalled.
To find out whether or not your car seat is one of the ones affected, check out the Britax website here and enter your serial number. To locate your serial number, look for the Date of Manufacture (DOM) label on the lower part of the back of the car seat. Britax is offering to replace the faulty chest clip, which is marked "ABS" with a new kit which will include an improved chest clip marked "PC."
For anyone who has already registered their car seat, the replacement kit will be automatically mailed out. Otherwise, you can contact customer service at 1-833-474-7016 with concerns about the integrity of your car seat.
