Britax Child Seat

Britax is recalling about 8,000 vehicles over a problem with the child seat. If a child releases the buckle and then the vehicle is involved in a crash, the child would not be protected by the restraint system and could be injured.

Campaign
97C012000
Manufacturer
BRITAX CHILD SAFETY, INC.
Reported
14 April 1997
Vehicles
8,000
Built between
Jun 1996 – Apr 1997
Models
1
Recall type
Child restraint
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
15 May 1997
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between June 1996 and April 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • Britax 101 (freeway)Built June 1996 to April 1997

What the defect is

The minimum force required to release the belt buckle could be less than the minimum buckle force required in federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 213, "child restraint systems." a child could have an easier time opening the buckle.

What could happen

If a child releases the buckle and then the vehicle is involved in a crash, the child would not be protected by the restraint system and could be injured.

What gets fixed

OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A NEW BUCKLE BUTTON AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJune 1996 to April 1997
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA14 April 1997
  3. Owners notified15 May 1997

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 14 April 1997.

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.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
BRITAX CHILD SAFETY, INC.
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

Owner notification:owner notification is expected to begin during may 1997.NOTE:OWNERS who do not receive a new buckle button and installation instructions free of charge within a reasonable time should contact britax at 1-888-.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.( previous recall number 97E012000)

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.

Same component

Same brand