We often read information about auto product recalls in Escondido that could result in serious injuries in a car accident, or information about child car seat safety. Yet it is not especially common to hear about a car that has been recalled for a safety defect related to child car seats. According to a recent article in Consumer Reports, that is precisely what is happening with a current BMW recall. The report indicates that “BMW of North America is recalling 32,760 vehicles from its 2015 to 2019 model years because the lower rear-seat anchor bars at the seat crease used to secure a child car seat may become damaged.” In other words, if a child is strapped into a car seat in one of these vehicles and a car crash happens, the vehicle may not properly hold the car seat. Accordingly, a child strapped into the car seat could sustain injuries that otherwise might have been prevented.

What follows is everything you need to know about the recall. If your child has already been injured because of a defective auto part, you should discuss your case with a car accident lawyer in Escondido.

Details of the Recall

The lower rear-seat anchor bar in the last four years of BMW models may not be safe for its intended use of securing child safety seats. As the article clarifies, “if the car seat is attached with ISOFIX-type rigid connectors, the damage may increase a child’s risk of injury in the event of a crash.” These defective bars are fixed, and they extend out from the car seat. The risk of injury in a motor vehicle crash is highest “when using a child seat with LATCH-type flexible-style connectors, which are on a vast majority of child seats used in the U.S.,” according to the article.

BMW has not reported any injuries resulting from the defect, yet injuries could occur if parents or guardians continue to use the defective auto part to secure a child’s safety seat. BMW will not begin notifying owners until January 17, 2020. Customers will be instructed to have their vehicles inspected by a BMW technician at no cost. If their vehicle has a loose anchor bar, the technician will repair it free of charge. The affected models include a number of BMW X6 SUVs built between May 2014 and May 2019, including:

• X6 sDrive35i;
• X6 xDrive35i;
• X6 xDrive50i; and
• X6M.

Parents May Still be Able to Use Car Seats in Defective BMWs

While more than 30,000 BMW models have been recalled due to a potential safety defect, the article indicates that parents and guardians can safely use child safety seats in these vehicles anyhow. To be clear, the Consumer Reports article is not suggesting that parents using the lower rear-seat anchor bars designed to secure a child safety seat. Rather, it explains that parents can use the seat belt in the car to strap in the child safety seat.

If you are unsure about whether your child’s safety seat is properly installed and secured to your vehicle, it is important to seek help.

Contact an Escondido Product Defect Lawyer

If you or someone you love sustained injuries because of an auto defect, an Escondido product defect attorney can assist you. Contact the Walton Law Firm today for more information about our services.

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It is always concerning when we hear about a product recall, especially when that product has been linked to serious injuries or even deaths. However, product recalls often are even more upsetting when they involve products that we have purchased with the expectation that they will be safe for our children’s use. We expect quite a lot of kids’ products, and we should be able to presume that a child’s car seat or an infant cup will not cause preventable injuries to our children. However, as a recent article from Safe Kids Worldwide reports, there were two major recalls of children’s products last month alone. Failing to pay attention to these safety defects could result in serious and even life-threatening injuries to your child.

What do you need to know about recent recalls concerning safety defects and kids’ products?

Spill-Proof Children’s Cups and Dangerous Mold Risk The first major recall of last month might not be one that most of us normally would associate with safety defects. According to the article, Mayborn USA recalled its “Tommee Tippee Sippee Spill-Proof Cups” due to the “risk of mold exposure when it remains wet or moist.” What are these cups? While you may not know them by name, it is very likely that you have seen children using them or that you have purchased them for your own kids. They are plastic cups that come with a “sippy” lids so that children can drink from a cup without spilling the liquid inside. Given that cups are designed to hold liquids, the fact that these recalled cups can develop mold when they remain wet or moist is a serious safety defect.

What happens when young children are exposed to the type of mold that can grow in these cups? According to the article and the recall notice from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), “mold ingestion poses a risk of gastrointestinal symptoms and infections in consumers with compromised immune systems.” As KidsHealth.org explains, children’s immune systems are not as developed as are adults, and as such kids can be more susceptible to serious illness (and severe complications).

More than three million of the recalled sippy cups are currently in the marketplace in the United States alone, and nearly 3,100 consumers have reported finding mold in the cups. Of those, nearly 70 children have become seriously ill. If you have one of these cups, stop using it immediately and contact the company for more information.

Child Booster Seat Recall In addition to the sippy cup recall last month, the article also reports that Graco Children’s Products, Inc. recalled its TurboBooster booster seats. What is wrong with these products? The booster seats do not come with important safety information, namely “instructions for safe booster seat installation.” Without knowing how to properly install the booster seat, the seats can cause serious injuries in the event of a car accident.

If you have one of these booster seats, you do not need to return it to the company. However, you should not use it until you can find a child passenger safety technician at an inspection station in order to learn how to install the booster seat properly.

Contact a San Diego Product Liability Lawyer At the Walton Law Firm, we are committed to helping clients who have been injured due to a dangerous product defect. When you purchase an item, you should be able to expect that it will be safe for use, particularly when you are buying a product for your child. If you or someone you loved suffered a serious injury because of a safety defect, an experienced San Diego product liability lawyer can assist you. Contact us today for more information about our services.

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