Britax Recalls 30,000 Frontier Car Seats

Harness straps that can slip off the metal yoke at the back of the car seat are the cause of a new recall on the Britax Frontier combination car seat. The harness problem happens when the harness straps are adjusted one at a time. Affected models are E9L54E7 (Red Rock), E9L54H6 (Rushmore), E9L54H7 (Pink Sky), E9L54M6 (Canyon) and E9L5490 (Sahara), manufactured between April 1 and Sept. 18 2008. Britax will send a repair kit to registered owners, so if you haven't registered your Frontier yet, please call 800-683-2045 to do so. The repair kits are expected to start shipping in mid-January.

In the meantime, affected Britax Frontier car seats are safe to use, but you need to double check that the harness straps are properly attached every time. When you adjust the straps, pull both of them at the same time to avoid detaching them from the yoke. When you have the straps adjusted as you want them, tug them. You'll know if they've detached, because they will come through the front of the car seat. You can also get around the harness problem by using the Frontier in booster mode if it's appropriate for your child. Don't forget to flip the foot on the bottom of the Frontier from harness to booster mode if you go that route, though.

For more information on this and other car seat recalls, please visit the Recent Car Seat Recalls page.