Dorel’s Delayed Car Seat Recall has Houston Product Liability Attorneys Concerned-Texas Child Injury Lawyers
As product liability lawyers representing clients in and around Houston, we have been concerned at the slow pace at which recalls are initiated by companies, and the failure of federal agencies to pressure these companies to act faster. However, even by these already sluggish standards, Dorel’s delayed recall of defective car safety seats last month involving models manufactured almost a decade ago, is stunning.
Last month, Dorel Juvenile Group announced a recall of several of its car safety seats because of weak restraint straps. Theses straps were susceptible to failure during an accident, causing children to fall out of the seat. The recall came in January 2010, a full 9 years after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tested the seats, found them susceptible to wear and tear and asked Dorel to initiate a recall. The company appealed that decision in 2002, and in 2008, a full 6 years after Dorel’s appeal, the NHTSA denied Dorel’s appeal. Dorel appealed this decision too. Last month, the agency rejected Dorel’s appeal a second time, and asked the company to recall the seats.
Between 2001 when the NHTSA first noticed the problem and 2010 when the recall was announced, the children who were using these seats have grown into teenagers. It has taken the agency 9 years to get Dorel to initiate what should have been a simple recall. As parents ourselves and Houston product liability lawyers, we fail to understand why it should take a car seat maker and the NHTSA 9 years to initiate a recall, which is, quite frankly, now meaningless anyway. A majority of these seats are no longer in use, and it would all have been laughable if it didn’t concern the safety of our children.
As an after note, it’s possible that some of these seats are still around, and are being used for siblings, or being sold at thrift stores, discount stores and online. We would advise parents to look up the Dorel website, and check if they still have the recalled car safety seats.
It is important to note as well, that car seats even have expiration dates, as does a gallon of milk. Most car seat manufacturers put an expiration date on the side of the car seat, but if not, most “expire” 6 months after the manufacturing date. Some manufactures allow for 10 years of use, but most are not that long. Check your car seats for an expiration date and discontinue use of expired seats.
If your child has been involved in an accident or injury, contact the husband & wife legal team at the Kahn Law Firm today for a free consultation at 713-226-9900.
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