Britax harness/booster restraint systems – missing aircraft installation instructions

Road Safety
Information: 1-800-333-0371

TP 14566 — Public Notice
Child Restraint Systems
2013-P06 E
December 24, 2013

Manufacturer:
Britax Child Safety, Inc.
4140 Pleasant Road
Fort Mill, SC 29708 USA
www.britaxusa.com

Importer and distributor:
Britax Child Safety Ltd.
P.O. Box 7289, RPO Brunswick Square
Saint John, NB E2L 9Z9
www.britax.ca

Consumer contact:

Customer Service
Phone: 1-888-427-4829
If calling from outside the USA or Canada:  1-704-409-1699
Email:  contact.US@britax.com
If you have a BRITAX or BOB Gear media inquiry, please contact Sikich Marketing & Public Relations at 312-541-9300.

Models affected:
Pioneer CAN:
E9LM61A, E9LM63G, E9LM63W, E9LM64J, E9LM64K
Frontier CT:
E9LM71A, E9LM73P, E9LM74L, E9LM74M, E9LM74N
Pinnacle CT:
E9LM84P, E9LM84Q, E9LM84R

Dates of manufacture:
Pioneer CAN: August 6, 2013 – February 1, 2014
Frontier CT: May 21, 2013 – February 1, 2014
Pinnacle CT: May 21, 2013 - February 1, 2014

Number of units:
6560

Geographic distribution:
Across Canada

Issue:

Britax Child Safety and Transport Canada wish to inform the public of an error in the instruction manual provided with a limited number of Pioneer, Frontier, and Pinnacle harness/booster car seats.  The instruction manuals and product labelling incorrectly indicate that the seats are not certified for use in an aircraft.  The Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards require that every child restraint system have instructions on how to install the restraint system in an aircraft passenger seat, and that the restraint systems meet specific testing requirements.

Britax Child Safety would like to assure customers that the affected car seats are certified for use in aircraft when installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions as a restraint system using the 5-point harness (as opposed to a booster seat). They have undergone all required certification testing.  Subsequently corrected instruction manuals reflect the full certification status of the product as intended by the manufacturer.

Safety Risk:

None – the incorrect instructions have no effect on the safety of the convertible car seat.

Company Action:

A consumer’s enquiry with Transport Canada and subsequent discussions between the manufacturer and Transport Canada revealed that the instruction manual incorrectly indicated that the affected car seats were not certified for aircraft use.  The company has implemented a production change.  The corrected instructions and labels for existing product will be available as of February 1st, 2014.  All retailers in Canada to whom affected products were sent will be advised regarding the proper handling of remaining inventory.

Consumer Recourse:

All registered and non-registered owners, are encouraged to contact Britax Child Safety at 1-888-427-4829 if they intend on using their restraint system on an aircraft, to receive, free of charge, a remedy kit consisting of a new instruction booklet as well as an updated label with instructions on how to affix it. The remedy kit will be available beginning on Feb 1, 2014.   The new instruction booklet can also be downloaded after Feb 1, 2014 at http://www.britax.ca/support/user-guides.  The affected car seats should not be returned to the retailer.