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How To Tell If Your Britax Car Seat Has Been Recalled

No parent or caregiver ever wants to hear that the car seat they're using to transport their baby has been recalled. Unfortunately, safety recalls happen, and the most important thing any parent can do is stay informed. Here's how to tell if your Britax car seat has been recalled, and what to do about it.

According to the recall notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, the chest clip tab on certain models of the Britax B-Safe 35 car seats can potentially become loose. These models were manufactured between Nov. 1, 2015 and May 31, 2017. Infants could put the broken tab in their mouth and possibly choke. More than 207,000 models have been affected by the recall. Dozens of model numbers for the B-Safe 35, BOB B-Safe 35, or 35 Elite infant seats and infant car seats have been included in the recall. It's important to note that the company maintains the car seats will still protect a child in the case of a car crash, and that only a portion of the seat needs to be replaced. While the chest clip needs to be replaced on affected models, the rest of the seat is not included in the recall.

A spokesperson for Britax, shared this statement with Romper:

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

Thankfully, this recall has been taken on as a precautionary measure; there have not been any reported incidents involving the chest clips. Here is a full list of the affected model serial numbers so you can check your car seat:

B-Safe 35 & Travel Systems: E1A183F, E1A185M, E1A185P, E1A186R, E1A203F, E1A205M, E1A205P, E1A206X, E1A206Z, E1A207E, E9LU65V, E9LU66X, E9LU66Z, E9LU67D, E9LU67E, EXA185M, S02063600, S02063700, S03803400, S03803500, S03803700, S03803800, S03803900, S04144400, S04144500, S04144600, S04145000, S04402800, S04884200, S04884300, S04975600, S04978900, S05260200, S06020300, S06020400, S06020500, S06020600, S06020700, S06020800, S06020900, S06147100, S921800, E1A193F, E1A195M, E1A195P, E1A196X, E1A196Z, E9LV16R, E9LV17D, S04144700, S04144800, S04144900, S04183700, S04183800, S04437700, S04884400, S04884500, S06051400, S06051500, S06051600, S06051700, S06051800, E1A233F, E1A235M, E1A235P, E1A236X
B-Safe 35 Elite & Travel Systems: E1A215T, E1A215U, E1A216P, E1A221Q, E1A225C, E1A225U, E1A226L, E9LS51Q, E9LS56C, E9LS56L, E9LS57F, E9LS57G, E9LS57H, EXA216L, S01298600, S02063800, S02063900, S02064000, S04281200, S04281300, S04628500, S06018800, S06020000, S06020200, S92370, E9LV21Q, E9LV26C, E9LV26L, E9LV27F, E9LV27G, E9LV2Q8, S01298700, S04184000, S06051300, E9LT15U, E9LT16C, E9LT16L
BOB B-Safe 35 by Britax: E9LT34A, E9LT34C, E9LT35X, EXLT34A, E9LT54A, E9LT54C, E9LT55X

If you find that your car seat model has been affected, visit the recall site here to receive a free remedy kit if you haven't already registered your car seat (those who have already registered will automatically receive one in the mail). The new clips have been approved by the NHTSA, and are considered more durable than the older clips (the older clips will have ADA written on them, while the replacement clips will have PC on them, for reference purposes).

To contact Britax, you can call its customer service line at 1-833-474-7016.