- Vehicles
- 1,146
- Built between
- Jul 2002 – Jan 2003
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Child restraint
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 31 January 2003
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between July 2002 and January 2003. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- Gorilla 200-1000Built July 2002 to January 2003
- Spelcast 600-1000Built July 2002 to January 2003
What the defect is
Gorilla child safety seat (model number 200-1000) and spelcast child safety seats (model number 600-1000) manufactured between july 26, 2002, and january 15, 2003, and outfitted with a tether anchor mounting kit, part no. FW-50250-12-ZY. The kit allows the purchaser to mount a tether anchor in a vehicle that is not already equipped with an anchor. The tether anchor kit contains a washer that does not comply with the salt spray standard found in federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 213, "child restraint systems."
What could happen
If the washer is rusted and weakened, in the event of a vehicle crash, the car seat could pull free, possibly injuring the seat occupant or someone else in the vehicle.
What gets fixed
SNUG SEAT WILL SEND REPLACEMENT WASHERS ALONG WITH INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS TO ITS REGISTERED OWNERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURING DATE AND MODEL NUMBER IS LOCATED ON THE SIDE OF THE SEAT. IF YOU HAVE A GORILLA CHILD SAFETY SEAT WITH MODEL NUMBER 200-1000 OR A SPELCAST CHILD SAFETY SEAT WITH MODEL NUMBER 600-1000, AND YOU DID NOT RECEIVE THE REPAIR KIT AND INSTRUCTIONS, PLEASE CALL SNUG SEAT, INC., TOLL-FREE AT (800) 336-7684 BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8 AM AND 5:30 PM EST MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, OR 8 AM AND 4PM ON FRIDAY. A NEW PART WILL BE SENT TO YOU IMMEDIATELY.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJuly 2002 to January 2003
- Recall reported to NHTSA31 January 2003
- Owners notified31 January 2003
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 31 January 2003.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
If you own one of these seats and did not receive the repair kit, please contact snug seat toll-free at 800-336-7684.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- SNUG SEAT, IN.
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 213
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
If you own one of these seats and did not receive the repair kit within a reasonable time, please contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.