Product Recalls: 18,000 Evenflo Maestro Car Seats & 34,000 Munchkin Bathttub Toys

Evenflo Maestro Car Seat Recall

More than 18,000 of Evenflo Maestro car seats were recalled in the U.S. and in Canada after the product failed in a series of crash tests. The car seat was found to crack and the harness loosened in a simulated 30-mph frontal collision.

The said product was manufactured to serve as a five-point harness or a typical child car seat.

"Should the harness loosen in a real crash, it allows the child to move much farther forward, exposing their head and neck to injury, as well as increasing their potential for ejection. The harness came loose in both of our tests with the three-year-old dummy using the harness, one where the seat was installed with LATCH and the other when it was installed with the three-point seatbelt," said Stockburger, manager of Consumer Reports' vehicle-and-child-safety program.

The company, Evenflo Company, Inc. of Miamisburg, Ohio, has voluntarily recalled 13,792 units in the U.S. and 4,479 units in Canada. The company has also asked retailers to stop displaying the said units in stores.

Evenflo will be coming up with a “remedy kit that includes an easily installed bracket to reinforce the seat without tools.” These kits will be distributed to owners of the recalled units.

The seat may still be used if the child weighs 40 pounds and above. They may continue using the product as a “belt-positioning booster” until the remedy kit is delivered.

The only affected Evenflo car seat models are those whose model numbers start with “310.” To find the model number and date of manufacture, just check behind the car seat and you’ll see a white label above the shoulder belt slot.


• For FAQs on the Maestro Safety Recall, click here.
• To learn more about the Maestro Remedy Kit Installation, view a video here.
• To learn more about the Maestro Remedy Kit, click here.

Click here to read on about the Munchkin Bathtub Toys recall.

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Read on about the Munchkin Bathtub Toys recall.

Munchkin Bathtub Toy Recall

Munchkin Inc., of North Hills, California, has recalled about 34,000 units of their bathtub toys because of a hazard wherein “the intake valve on the bottom of the submarine toy can suck up loose skin, posing [a] laceration hazard to children.”

There have been 19 reported incidents of laceration injuries to boys’ genital area.

Consumers are advised to take away the bathtub toy from their kids and visit www.munchkin.com on instructions on how to return the product for a free replacement toy.


Photos from www.evenflo.com and www.cpsc.gov

SOURCES:
•    18,000 Evenflo Maestro Car Seats Recalled After Failing Consumer Reports Crash Test, growingyourbaby.com
•    Evenflo Initiates Voluntary Safety Recall of Certain Maestro Combination Booster Seats, evenflo.com
•    18,000 Evenflo Maestro Car Seats Recalled, abclocal.go.com
•    Evenflo Maestro car seat recalled after failing Consumer Reports' crash test, blogs.consumerreports.org •    Evenflo Maestro Booster Car Seat Recall, ratedbymom.com
•    Bathtub Toys Recalled by Munchkin Due to Risk of Injury, cspsc.gov