Popular car seat company Diono is voluntarily recalling more than 500,000 car seats after testing revealed that the seats could pose serious injury to children in a crash.
Testing revealed that the seats pose a risk to children who weigh more than 65 pounds if they are secured with only a lap belt, instead of the top tether. Using only the lap belt and no tether can lead to an increased risk of chest injury in the event of a crash, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Without use of the top tether and with just a seat belt alone, the seats fail to meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 213, "Child Restraint Systems."
"As a result of our rigorous quality control, and ongoing product testing, we have established that if our convertible child safety seat is installed forward-facing in vehicles with a lap-belt (type 1) only without top tether, it crosses into a technical non-compliance," Diono explained on its website. "If our convertible child safety seat is being used with a lap and shoulder safety belt (type 2) or with our SuperLATCH system, or top tether, the child safety seat is unaffected."
The following Diono convertible and booster car seats are being recalled:
- Radian R100
- Radian R120
- Radian RXT
- Olympia
- Pacifica
- Rainier
Diono, previously known by the business name Sunshine Kids Juvenile, manufactured the affected car seats from January 2014 to September 2017.
To find out if you are affected by the recall, Diono has provided a list of questions to help guide parents. Those include prompting parents to answer if their seat is used with a latch system or top tether and how to find the manufacturer's date on the product.
The good news is that Diono is recalling the seats voluntarily, and there have been no reports of any children who were actually injured as a result of using the seats. The official recall of the car seats will begin on November 22, 2017. If you have a car seat that is part of the recall, you can expect to receive a free kit with updated installation instructions, an energy-absorbing pad and a new chest clip from the company.
In the meantime, anyone who has any questions can contact the Diono company toll-free at 855-215-4951 or submit an online contact request through the company's website.
Above image is the Diono R100
