Graco, a leading manufacturer of child products, announced on Thursday a recall of 11 different models of strollers after numerous complaints that children's fingers were getting caught in the strollers' folding hinges.
The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) also echoed the recall, adding that strollers that had been manufactured between Aug. 1, 2000 and Sept. 25, 2014 were defective. Graco sold 4.7 million hazardous strollers in the United States, 200,000 in Canada, and 10,300 in Mexico.
Graco, which is based in Atlanta but manufactures its products in China, maintained that 85% of the dangerous products had been made seven years ago. Nonetheless, the announcement advised caretakers to call customer service and request a repair kit and hinge cover to prevent children's fingers from getting caught.
This is not the first time Graco has come under fire for its faulty items. In February, the company recalled 3.8 million car seats after reports that children had difficulty freeing themselves with the buckle during emergencies. In July, Graco announced a safety recall for a different car seat (intended for smaller children) that used the same defective buckle as its the model it pulled off the shelves in February.
In February 2012, Maclaren USA also announced the revocation of approximately 1 million strollers after reports of the same injuries caused by Graco strollers. According to the CPSC, the U.K.-based firm received 15 complaints from consumers about "children placing their finger in the stroller's hinge mechanism, resulting in 12 reports of fingertip amputations in the United States."
ABC News reported that there are currently no existing federal laws regulating the amount of time or money spent by companies to inform consumers about safety recalls, and that all too often, the unsafe products in question end up being illegally resold.
Newly appointed CPSC chair Elliot Kaye told ABC News that a successful recall would mean a 20% repossession, or approximately 980,000 of the defective Graco strollers.
Neither Graco spokesperson Ashley Mowrey, nor CPSC public relations specialist Nikki Fleming, were available for comment at the time of publication.
Thumbnail photo credit: Ed Yourdon / Creative Commons