NHTSA ANNOUNCES SAFETY RECALL OF COSCO CHILD SEATS

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced a safety recall of Cosco child restraint seats for failure to meet Federal safety standards. The recall involves 7,863 Cosco Touriva Overhead Shield (Models 02-014-EMF, 02-014-GDM, and 02-015-PLD) and Touriva 5-point (Models 02-514-BWE, 02-584-OXF, and 02-518-NDF) child restraint seats manufactured from Aug. 9, 1997, through Aug. 22, 1997, that were made in mold number "3."

When these seats were tested dynamically to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 213, "Child Restraints," structural failure occurred in the belt path area of the shell in the forward-facing, reclining position only.

NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez, M.D., advised parents not to use the seats in the reclining position until the seats are repaired. He said the seat is safe in all other positions and emphasized the importance of using child safety seats.

"An unrestrained child is at a much greater risk of injury in a crash than a child in a restraint system," Dr. Martinez said.

Cosco has developed a procedure under which owners can determine whether their seat is covered by the recall. If the 6-digit manufacture date code on the left side of the seat is between Aug. 9 and Aug. 22, 1997, the owner should look for the mold number (1, 2, or 3) near the top of the back of the seat shell. (Owners may need to remove the locking clip to see the number.) If the mold number is "3," the owner should call Cosco at (800) 221-6736 to obtain a free repair kit and installation instructions.

For more information, owners should call Cosco toll free at (800) 221-6736 or write to the Cosco Company, P.O. Box 2609, Columbus, Ind., 47202-2609.

Consumers with questions about this or any other safety recall campaign should call NHTSA's toll-free Auto Safety Hotline at (800) 424-9393. Consumers in the Washington, D.C., area should call (202) 366-0123.