WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government has begun an investigation into the safety of nearly 900,000 infant carrier-car seats because of complaints that the seat's handle can unlatch suddenly and dump babies on the ground.
The seats are the Arriva and Turn-About manufactured by Cosco Inc. from 1995 through 1998 and the Infant Rider made by Kolcraft Enterprises from 1996 through 1998, according to records at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.About 460,000 of the Cosco seats and 415,000 of the Kolcraft seats were manufactured during the years under investigation.
The safety agency received 82 complaints from parents that the Infant Rider carry handle unlatched suddenly while they were carrying infants in the Kolcraft seats, an agency document said. Eleven babies were ejected, resulting in injuries.
The Kolcraft seat has two types of handles, a standard handle and a curved handle called a smart handle. Two-thirds of the complaints were about the smart handles.
There were 37 complaints from parents involving the Cosco seats, including eight ejections and nine injuries.
Calls seeking comment from Cosco were referred to John Reynolds, an executive vice president, who was unavailable. Kolcraft was cooperating with the government on the investigation, the company said in a statement. Company executives declined further comment.
Earlier this year, Evenflo Co. recalled 800,000 of its combination infant carrier-car seats because of a faulty handle. When the seat was used as a carrier outside of a car, the locking mechanism on the handle could slip, flip the seat forward and toss the baby on the ground.
The Cosco seat is designed for infants weighing up to 22 pounds while the Kolcraft seat is intended for infants weighing up to 20 pounds.