More than 59,000 car seats recalled over safety issue with seat anchor

WASHINGTON — Nearly 60,000 car seats are being recalled by the Dorel Juvenile Group due to faulty seat anchors, increasing the risk of injury in a crash. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a recall over several models of the Safety 1st and Maxi-Cosi car seats, warning consumers about the faulty car seats.

The NHTSA said the affected Dorel child seats' lower anchors can fail and allow the seat to detach, which fail to comply with the federal safety requirements for child seats. Dorel has not received reports of injury related to the recall. 

Recalled models include certain Safety 1st onBoard 35 Secure Tech, Safety 1st Secure Tech Infant Base, Maxi-Cosi Coral XP, Maxi-Cosi Mico XP Max, Maxi-Cosi Mico XP, Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe+, and Maxi-Cosi Infant Base child seats. 

The seats were manufactured from May 2020 to February 2023, according to the recall. Impacted car seats were sold in the U.S and in Canada, but shipments were made to other countries. 

The safety administration said an estimated 59,450 units are affected by recall. Owners can check the recall numbers and models impacted on Dorel's recall announcement.

Dorel advised consumers that they "can continue to safely use these car seats with the base installed using the vehicle belt, or with carrier shell only installation using the vehicle belt."

Current owners are told to secure the car seats with the vehicle belts until the faulty bases are remedied. Dorel will issue a free replacement base to customers, according to the company and the safety administration. 

The company said it will contact customers with the recalled items by email or mail. Notification letters are expected to be sent by April 7, according to the NHTSA. 

Consumers can contact Dorel customer service at 1-877-657-9546 or RetractableLatchRecall@djgusa.com. They can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or visit the administration's website.