03/07/08

It's important to keep your infant or young child restrained while driving, for their protection and yours, but if you have a car-seat manufactured by Combi USA, be aware that roughly 67,000 units have been recalled because testing shows the seats might separate from their bases during front-end collisions.

In a press release issued on Monday, March 4th, Combi USA, which is based in South Carolina, said that they will offer free retrofit kits to those consumers who contact them, but warned that there would be a processing and shipping time of six to eight weeks.

To keep your child safe while you wait for the kit, Combi suggests that parents use the Combi Centre and Shuttle without the base, and stresses that the car seats are both designed for base-free use, and safe without the base attached.

Combi says that there have been no actual injury reports, and that their recall is voluntary, a pro-active step to "…ensure the public's trust in our products." The models affected by the recall were specified in a letter to consumers, and include the Centre, Centre ARB and Shuttle seats (Model Nos. 8065, 8074, 8086, 8087 and 8520), as well as the travel systems containing the Centre and Shuttle seats (Model Nos. 4400, 4515 and 4520). The recall only covers seats produced between October 2005 and December 2007, and no other models are involved.

Consumers should contact the company to obtain a free retrofit kit on its Web site or by calling (800) 543-7734. They can confirm the model number of their product by looking at the sticker on the underside of the car seat.