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Fisher-Price, NHTSA Announce Safety Campaign for Convertible Car Seats

4 August 1998

Fisher-Price, NHTSA Announce Safety Campaign for Safe Embrace(TM) Convertible Car Seats

    EAST AURORA, N.Y., Aug. 4 -- The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Fisher-Price have announced a consumer
safety campaign to provide modification kits for Fisher-Price's model number
79700, Safe Embrace(TM) Convertible Car Seat.  The Convertible Car Seats are
used rear-facing for infants up to 22 lbs. and forward-facing for toddlers up
to 40 lbs.
    The safety campaign involves approximately 54,500 Convertible Car Seats,
manufactured from May 19, 1997 through March 29, 1998, that have been sold to
consumers.
    Through its own consumer research, Fisher-Price learned that the current
harness adjuster, which is used to tighten and lock the harness belts around
the child, may malfunction if a spring breaks or dislocates from the correct
position.  When the harness adjuster fails, it may not properly lock the
shoulder belts in place.  If this occurs, the child may not be adequately
protected in a crash.
    Fisher-Price has had no reports of injury as a result of this problem.
The Company is offering a modification kit that will contain a newly designed
harness adjuster for consumers to install.
    Until the modification kit arrives, NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez,
M.D., advised parents to continue to use their convertible car seat,
inspecting it each time it is used by checking that the harness belts remain
locked in place.  "An unrestrained child is at a much greater risk of injury
in a crash than a child in a restraint system," Dr. Martinez said.
    Consumers who own the Safe Embrace Convertible Car Seat should contact
Fisher-Price, toll-free, at 1-800-355-8882 between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
(EDT) Monday through Friday, to obtain a replacement harness adjuster.  For
better service, consumers are asked to have their car seat nearby when they
call the Company.  Consumers may also write to:   Fisher-Price Consumer
Affairs, 636 Girard Avenue, East Aurora, N.Y. 14052.  Consumers who have
registered their Convertible Car Seat with the Company will automatically
receive the replacement harness adjuster.
    For safety's sake, Fisher-Price is urging every owner of this product to
obtain and install the replacement part in order to prevent the possibility of
problems with the harness adjuster in the future.
    Consumers with questions about this or any other safety campaign should
call NHTSA's toll-free Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT
(1-888-327-4236).