Century Baby Seats Recalled

WASHINGTON--Rear-facing infant seats made by Century between January 1991 through July 1997 should not be held by the handle when used as an infant carriers, according to the National Traffic Safety Administration.

“Century will soon be announcing its recall to provide a new handle,” said Dr. Sue Bailey, NHTSA administrator. “Until then, parents should avoid using the handle and instead hold the body of the seat securely when carrying an infant outside a motor vehicle. This risk can be avoided until the new parts are available.”

Bailey emphasized that the seats perform properly in protecting children in crashes and should continue to be used for that purpose.

In response to an investigation jointly conducted by NHTSA and the Consumer Products Safety Commission, Century has advised the two agencies that the handles on some 4 million seats are indeed defective. The company has received more than 2,700 reports of handle-related problems, including handles breaking, cracking, or possibly not being locked while the seat is being used as a carrier. In addition, Century has also received more than 200 reports of injury, including concussions, skull fractures, lacerations, broken bones, bruises and scratches as a result of such handle-related problems.

The problem involves all Century rear-facing infant car seats/carriers manufactured from January 1991 through July 1997 that have a molded, one-piece, one-color plastic handle colored white, gray, or tan. The date of manufacture, written as month, day, year (010191 through 073197), can be found on a label on the side of the seat. A label on the front of the seat reads, “Century.”

Century is to provide additional information, including information about a remedy, when it announces an official recall. Century can be reached at 1/800-837-4044 or contact www.dot.gov/briefing.htm.