Recent Evenflo Child Safety Seat Recall Brings 2004 Investigation Into Question

Greg Webb

Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 530

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            The federal government recently recalled about one million Evenflo Discovery child safety seats after it was proven that they could come apart in a side-impact crash. This decision was made even though there is no specific standard that specifies the level of protection a safety seat should provide to a child in a side crash. Because of this recall, some suggest that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should reopen its investigation in 2004 regarding an earlier Discovery model that may have a very similar failing.

            This investigation in 2004 concluded that eight infants died and twenty-three were injured in crashes after the car seat, the Discovery model 561, they were sitting in came apart. This problem is the same one that caused the recent recall to take place. After four months of investigating about 2.6 million car seats built from 1998-2004, however, the inquiry was ceased because investigators claimed they could not find a specific defect in the products and some of the crashes occurred at high speeds. Although the agency closed the case, they reserved the right to reopen it since there was no evidence that there was not a defect in the product. The agency has stated it has no intentions to reopen the case since the designs are so different.