If you are the owner of a Graco convertible or combination seat that has one of the recalled buckle designs pictured below, and your carseat was not included in the initial recall period because it was made either before or after the initial recall period of January 2009 – July 2013, please note that your seat is now included in this expanded recall.
From Graco:
“To alleviate any additional concerns, Graco has decided to include the harness buckles used on all toddler convertible car seats and harnessed boosters manufactured from 2006 through 2009 in its recent recall. For any concerned parent or guardian, we will continue to offer a replacement harness buckle at no cost. Consumers can place their order online at GracoBuckleRecall.com and can continue to use their car seat while waiting for the new buckle. We want to stress that our car seats are safe and effective in restraining children. For additional questions, consumers can contact our customer service team at 800-345-4109 or [email protected]
MODEL NAME AFFECTED DATES
| Argos 70
Argos 70 Elite |
5/1/2011 through 7/31/2013 |
| Classic Ride 50 | 10/1/2011 through 9/30/2013 |
| Comfort Sport
Ready Ride |
10/1/2010 through 9/30/2013 |
| Cozy Cline
Step 2 |
1/1/2006 through 4/30/2010 |
| My Ride 65
My Ride 65 with Safety Surround |
4/1/2009 through 7/31/2013; and 9/30/2013 |
| My Ride 70 | 5/1/2012 through 7/31/2013 |
| My Size 70
Size 4 Me 70 Head Wise 70 with Safety Surround |
1/1/2012 through 7/31/2013; and 8/3/2013 |
| Nautilus 3-in-1
Nautilus Plus Nautilus Elite |
10/1/2007 through 7/31/2013; and 8/19/2013 |
| Smart Seat
Smart Seat with Safety Surround |
12/1/2010 through 9/30/2013; and 10/9/2013, 12/25/2013, 1/10/2014 |
From NHTSA:
On March 7, 2014, Graco informed NHTSA it would be including an additional 403,222 seats in this recall, including certain model year 2006 through 2014 Argos 70 Elite, Ready Ride, Step 2, My Ride 65 with Safety Surround, My Size 70, Head Wise 70 with Safety Surround, Nautilus 3-in-1, Nautilus Plus, and Smart Seat with Safety Surround. The defect involves difficulty in unlatching the harness buckle. In some cases, the buckle becomes stuck in a latched condition so that it cannot be opened by depressing the buckle’s release button. It may be difficult to remove the child from the restraint, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a vehicle crash, fire, or other emergency, in which a prompt exit from the vehicle is required. Graco is offering to replace the buckle with a new design, free of charge. Registered owners will be notified beginning around early April 2014, and offered the free replacement buckle. All other owners may contact Graco at 1-800-345-4109 (toll-free) or 1-330-869-7225, or online at www.consumerservices@
Has anyone had any luck with exchanging their seat outright at a brick and mortar retailer? I am tired of waiting on my replacement buckle and saw several people comment on Graco’s FB page that Walmart and Target would exchange the seat outright at no cost, but when I called Target I was told my model number was not part of the recall list provided to them by Graco. I have a 2010 Nautilus with a defective buckle. Target said they could not help me. :/
Just fill out the request for replacement buckle on their website & it’ll tell you that you’ll receive it in 6-8wks but I got mine in exactly 1wk! They claimed mine wasn’t even included in the recall but still sent me one for free! Judging by the differences between the recalled ones & the new improved replacement ones mine was surely an affected one that they just failed to include in the recall..after I told my husband about it he said he had a hell of a time trying to unbuckle it more than once but had never said anything until then! They said the one on my seat was a new improved buckle based on date of manufacture but the replacement they sent was completely different! I don’t use the seat that often (it’s an infant seat) anymore cause we have a 4ever in my car now but it’s nice Graco was willing to replace it for free even though it supposedly wasn’t a recalled one cause they’re my favorite brand & id hate an issue such as this make me change my mind!
Good luck getting a replacement. They may be doing the recall but they aren’t getting the replacements out. I was told 4-6 weeks, then 6-8 but I think now they’re up to 10 weeks wait time to get a replacement. I finally threw a hissy fit on their fb page and a rep emailed and called me saying I would have a replacement in 5 business days. Seems like their only concern is damage control at this point. I saw the car seat lady got her replacements after making a post about it too.
I submitted the form for replacement online on Wednesday August 12th & it said it would take 6-8wks to receive replacement but I received it Wednesday August 19th (exactly 1wk later)!! They claimed mine wasn’t part of recall but based on my research of the pictures of the differences between recalled & the new improved replacement it should’ve been included so I’m glad they willingly replaced it for free as they should!
2006, huh? That’s one financial argument I’ve always made on behalf of carseat companies to have seats expire sooner rather than later. It’s expensive to maintain a ‘fleet’ of seats that have a usable lifespan of 9 or 10 years and are subject to recalls!
I’m still wondering how long till the infant seats get recalled, though….