A little Valco recall

A lot of people become unnecessarily alarmed whenever the CPSC recalls a baby product. In most cases, the issues are minor, and many times they could be prevented by a little caution. Not always though. Some are truly serious, and hazardous. But they are all lumped together, which causes consumers a lot of confusion. 

So rather than just posting an alarming press release, we went directly to the source for an explanation. This recall involves the add-on toddler seat for the Tri-Mode and Zee, single and double. No injuries have been reported.

 National Sales Manager Shalom New explained it to SQ: "It is the spring loaded button that pops into the stroller housing to secure the seat to the stroller. It was limited to a few batches. They were tested and compliant to 65lbs of weight but in use started to pop out. We are replacing those buttons with new stronger buttons that can withstand even more weight."

And here is the "official" Valco response: 

 

At Valco Baby, safety is our number one priority and in conjunction with the CPSC we have issued a voluntarily recall on Joey Toddler Seats purchased between May 2011 & June 2012.

A simple repair kit is available to replace the spring loaded buttons that connect the Joey Seat to the stroller.

For details on affected batches & to order the repair kit visit our website: http://bit.ly/JoeySafety

From the CPSC:

ValcoBaby Booster Seats Recalled Due to Fall Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of Product: ValcoBaby "Joey" booster toddler seats for strollers
Units: About 975
Importer: Unique Baby Products USA LLC, d/b/a ValcoBaby, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Hazard: The spring button mechanism securing the booster toddler seat to the baby stroller can disengage, allowing for the carried toddler to fall.
Incidents: The firm has received two reports of a child falling from the booster toddler seat after it disengaged from the stroller. No injuries were reported.
Description: The product is a booster toddler seat, both single and twin, designed to attach to Valco "Tri-Mode" and "Zee" strollers. Only booster seats with batch numbers 3111, 7819, 7822 and 7831 and model number TOD1058, TOD9109 and ZEE0649 are included in the recall. The batch and model numbers are printed on a label attached to the product frame. The seats have a black color fabric seat on white metal base frame.
Sold: Various juvenile product stores, websites and the firm's website valcobaby.com nationwide from June 2011 through June 2012 for between $80 and $100.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should stop using these toddler booster seats immediately and contact ValcoBaby to arrange for a free replacement attachment mechanism.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact ValcoBaby at (800) 610-7850 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm's website at http://www.valcobaby.com/warranty-registration/recall-joey.html or email us at recall@valcobaby.com

             

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about your experience with the product on SaferProducts.gov