Choking on/Ingestion of Car Seat Foam

An NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation into Cybex vehicles. Closed 3 June 2022.

Investigation
PE21014
Type
Preliminary Evaluation
Opened
2 July 2021
Closed
3 June 2022

What NHTSA investigated

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE21-014) after receiving four complaints from two consumers and identifying Early Warning Reporting (EWR) Death & Injury (D&I) claims alleging injuries involving production year 2018 Cybex Sirona M car (child) seats. According to the reports, child occupants were able to access a foam material, used in the seat headrest, via an opening in its covering material. When doing so, the child subsequently places foam in their mouths thereby resulting in coughing, gagging, vomiting, or passed by means of bowel movements. No severe injuries are alleged in any of these reports. On August 9, 2021 ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Cybex Sirona M distributor Columbus Trading-Partners (CTP) USA Inc. requesting information related to the subject seat. On September 20, 2021, CTP responded with the requested data and provided their position that the concern did not represent a substantial hazard to children. CTP stated that although they were aware of children having picked small pieces of foam from the subject child seat and ingesting it, they were not aware of any claims of serious injury or death. CTP also stated that after learning of the claims of children having access to and picking off pieces of headrest foam, they made a change in production on August 31, 2018 that would prevent the problem from occurring. CTP claims they have not received any complaints on seats manufactured after that date.Following a review of the IR response data and related precedent recalls, ODI conducted multiple meetings with CTP to explain the agency concerns. With this information CTP decided to submit a voluntary safety recall to remedy the subject child seats manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.On April 20, 2022 recall 22C-001 posted recalling certain Cybex Sirona M Convertible Child Car Seat, model numbers 518000385, 518002153, 518000387, 518002145, 518002149, 518002151, and 519000211, manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.With recall action 22C-001 taken by CTP, this investigation is closed as further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID using the following complaint identification numbers: 11113133, 11150030, 11150031, 11150032

The recall that followed

  1. Cybex — Child Seat: Material/Padding22C0010008 April 202220,526 vehicles

Vehicles covered

MakeModelModel years
CybexSIRONA MModel year not recorded

Source

From NHTSA’s investigation file, rebuilt daily. To report a problem with your own vehicle, go to nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem. All open investigations.