About 63,000 motorized infant seats may present a fire risk and are subject to recall, according to toy manufacturer Fisher-Price.
Four of the company’s “Soothing Motions Seat” models and one model of the “Smart Connect Soothing Motions Seat” are included in the recall: model numbers CMR35, CMR36, CMR37, DYH22, and CMR39. The model number can be found on the underside of the motor housing.
The recall comes after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) received 36 reports of the products overheating and one report of a fire contained in the motor housing. There have been no injuries, the agency says.
“The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Fisher-Price issued a voluntary recall of the Fisher-Price Soothing Motions Seat. No injuries have been reported but the motor housing can overheat, posing a potential fire hazard,” a representative of parent company, Mattel, said in a statement to GoodHousekeeping.com. “Children’s and families’ safety is always our top priority at Mattel. Our long record of safety is why Fisher-Price is the #1 most loved and trusted brand by moms. The actions we are taking today are in support of maintaining that highest level of trust. We ask consumers to visit service.mattel.com so we can provide them with recall and refund instructions.”
The seats were available from Walmart, Target, Amazon, and other retailers both online and at brick-and-mortar stores from November 2015 to the time of the recall. They retailed for around $160 for the Soothing Motions Seat and $175 for the Smart Connect Soothing Motions Seat.
Owners of seats listed in the recall should discontinue use immediately and contact Fisher-Price for a full refund, according to CPSC recommendation. Fisher-Price can be reached at (800)432-5437 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., or online at www.service.mattel.com by navigating to “Recalls & Safety Alerts”.
Fisher-Price last recalled a potentially dangerous product in April 2016, when three different models of “Cradle ‘n Swing” baby rockers, 34,000 units in total, were found to have a defective seat peg. In at least two instances, as reported by the CPSC, parents found the seat peg came free of the seat, causing the seat to fall. Again, no injuries were reported.
The baby gear company has been subject to lawsuits before over product safety. In 2007, Mattel, along with seven other toy manufacturers, paid out $1 million to settle a state lawsuit in California over lead paint content in some 1.5 million preschool toys. The corporation paid another $12 million to 39 different states to settle the prolonged investigation of the lead-tainted toys, and another $2.3 million in fines to the federal government for violating the lead paint ban.
A class action lawsuit, filed the same month the recall was announced, added yet another $50 million to the incurred expense. The lawsuit, brought and won by parents whose children were effected, forced the company to refund the cost of the toys and reimburse parents for out of pocket expenses incurred testing their children for lead exposure. The company was also required to create a quality assurance program, monitored by the court, and donate $275,000 to the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions, a non-profit comprising 150 different children’s hospitals and pediatric units.
Learn more about Product Safety Lawsuits.
