EVENFLO 561 (DISCOVERY) Complaints

DT: CONSUMER HAS AN EVENFLO CHILD SAFETY SEAT. THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT IS ALSO A CARRIER, THE HANDLE USED TO CARRY THE SEAT BROKE ON BOTH SIDES WHERE IT CONNECTS TO THE SEAT. CONSUMER DOES NOT KNOW HOW HANDLE BROKE.*AK

DT: WHILE DRIVING HOME TODAY AND AS CONSUMER ROUNDED A CORNER THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT CAME OUT OF THE BASE AND TURNED OVER. CONSUMER'S CHILD WAS IN THE SEAT. THE CHILD WAS VERY UPSET AND CRYING. CONSUMER STOPPED TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM AND THE CHILD SEAT SNAPPED BACK INTO POSITION WITH OUT ANY PROBLEMS. *TT *NM

THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED ON MARCH 11, 2004, BASED ON SEVEN CONSUMER REPORTS ALLEGING THE SEAT PORTION OF THEIR REAR FACING INFANT CAR SEAT SEPARATED FROM ITS BASE IN A MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH. IN RESPONSE TO ODI'S INFORMATION REQUEST, EVENFLO PROVIDED INFORMATION ON AN ADDITIONAL 52 REPORTS THAT INCLUDED 21 INJURIES AND SIX FATALITIES. ODI COMPLAINTS THAT WERE DUPLICATED IN EVENFLO'S RESPONSE WERE REMOVED FROM THE ODI COLUMN IN THE "FAILURE REPORT SUMMARY." ODI CONDUCTED A REVIEW OF THE ODI DATABASE, TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS WITH COMPLAINANTS, REVIEWED REAL-WORLD CRASH EXPERIENCE THROUGH MANUFACTURERS REPORTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, POLICE ACCIDENT REPORTS, AND INSPECTED CRASH SEATS. BASED ON A REVIEW OF THE AVAILABLE DATA, A SAFETY RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED. ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED. THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST. THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS ATTACHED. PLEASE UP DATE YOU INFORMATION ON THE EVENFLO DISCOVERY IF YOU DO A SEARCH ON EVENFLO AND THAN CHILD SAFETY SEAT YOU CAN SEE THEY ARE MANY MORE COMPLIAINTS ON THE EVENFLO DISCOVERY INFANT CAR SEAT YOU CAN TELL THEM BY THE MODEL # THEIR ARE OVER A 1000 COMPLIAINTS ON THIS ONE SEARCH MANY ARE THE DISCOVERY PLEASE TAKE TIME TO PUT THE COMPLAINTS UNDER THE RIGHT MAKE AND MODEL MY GRANDSON WAS KILLED BECAUSE HIS SEAT CAME APART FROM THE BASE I GAVE YOU THE MAKE AND MODEL AND STILL YOU PUT IT UNDER CHILD SAFETY SEAT MY ODI ID #10071698 CAN YOU GET ME A UPDATE ON THE REPORT FROM EVENFLO HAVE MANY MORE COMPLAINT THE RECIEVED ON THE DISCOVERY .

DT: CHILD SAFETY SEAT STRAPS WRAP AROUND THE CONTACTS CHILD WHEN HE TRIES TO GET OUT OF THE CAR SEAT. *AK

I AM INVESTIGATING A SERIOUS INJURY CRASH AND HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT A POSSIBLE CHILD RESTRAIN FAILURE. THE SEAT SEPARATED FROM THE BASE AND THE BASE SPLIT DOWN THE MIDDLE. THE VEHICLE, BASE, AND INFANT SEAT ARE IN MY POSSESSION. *JB UPDATED

CONSUMER PUT CHILD IN SAFETY SEAT THEN PROCEEDED TO BUCKLE STRAPS. WHILE BUCKLING HARNESS THE LEFT ARM ON CHILD SEAT BROKE. CHILD FELL OUT OF SAFETY SEAT, BUT SUSTAINED ONLY MINOR INJURIES.*AK

EVENFLO DISCOVERY CAR SEAT BASE HAS ROUGH AND SHARP EDGES. *BF WHEN THE CONSUMER REMOVED HER DAUGHTER FROM THE CAR SEAT, SHE NOTICED THERE WAS BLOOD ON THE CHILD'S LEFT FOOT, UPON INSPECTION, THE CONSUMER SAW TWO CUTS ON THE CHILD'S TOE. THIS ALSO HAPPENED PREVIOUSLY TO THE RIGHT FOOT, BUT AT THAT TIME THE CONSUMER DID NOT WHERE IT HAD COME FROM. THE CONSUMER CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THE CUTS CAME FROM THE BASE, WHICH WAS ALSO TO GET THE SEAT IN AND OUT OF THE BASE AND IN THE PROCESS THERE WAS A DANGER OF PINCHING A CHILD'S FOOT BETWEEN THE BASE AND THE SEAT WHERE THE LATCH CLIP FITS OVER THE SEAT. MODEL#5611327P1 *JB

THE CHILD SEAT (MODEL#3151356P1) CARRYING HANDLE WAS BEGINNING TO CRACK. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB

UPON FASTENING THE CHILD SEAT USING THE VEHICLE'S SEAT BELTS THROUGH THE LOOP OF THE CHILD SEAT, CHILD SEAT BROKE. *AK

MY CHILD HAS EASILY BEEN ABLE TO UNBUCKLE THE STRAP FROM THE CHEST CLIP OF HER EVENFLO DISCOVERY INFANT CAR SEAT FROM THE TIME SHE WAS 3 MONTHS OLD. THE SEAT WAS PURCHASED IN NOVEMBER 2003 FROM TARGET. WHEN CONTACTED, EVENFLO SAID IT HAD NOT HEARD THIS COMPLAINT AND HAD NO EXPLANATION FOR ME. I BELIEVE OTHER BABIES COULD BE DOING THE SAME THING. SEVERAL TIMES I WENT TO GET MY DAUGHTER OUT OF HER SEAT AND HER STRAP WAS LOOSENED AND UNCLIPPED FROM THE CHEST CLIP. BECAUSE IT IS REAR FACING, I COULD NOT SEE HER UNBUCKLE THE STRAP. I THINK THIS SEAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED IMMEDIATELY SO THAT THE COMPANY CAN COME UP WITH A WAY TO SECURE THE STRAP.*AK