SAN ANTONIO – Britax is recalling thousands of infant car seats because of a safety issue. Meanwhile, Amazon is offering full refunds for hoverboards purchased on its website.
The Britax recall involves the B-Safe 35, B-Safe 35 Elite and the B-Safe 35 Travel System. All are infant rear-facing seats.
The car seat handle may crack or break causing the carrier and baby to fall to the ground. The company has received 74 reports of incidents.
The seat may still be used in the car or stroller, but not as a carrier until the handle repair is installed. Parents who have registered their seat with Britax will receive the repair kit. Others need to contact the company. You can do so online at bsafe35recall.com.
The seats were sold from November 2014 to this month.
Walmart recalls electric griddles
Walmart is also recalling 330,000 electric griddles.
The recall involves Rival griddles with model number XJ-14207 sold from July 2015 through the end of last year.
The heating element can crack and water can get inside, posing a shock hazard. Consumers should return them to Walmart for a refund.
Amazon offers refunds for hoverboards
For consumers who regret buying that hoverboard, Amazon is offering full refunds for the products bought through its website.
The offer comes amid a rash of fires and a growing number of fall injuries.
The latest fire, which claimed the lives of two pet dogs, occurred this week in California.
That brings the number of reported fires to 40. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investing the root cause of the fires, focusing on the lithium ion battery packs and the connection to the circuit board.
Beyond the fires, a growing number of serious injuries, including head and brain injuries, has investigators looking more closely into the design.
"At first glance, it is easy to believe the risk of falling off a hoverboard is an obvious one and to dismiss those injuries as user inexperience or error," said CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye. "I am concerned, for example, that the current designs might not take fully into consideration the different weights of different users, potentially leading to the units speeding up or lurching in a manner that a user would not have reason to anticipate, especially a first-time user."
He urges users to wear protective gear.
Kaye also called on retailers to suspend sales of hoverboards while the investigation into the safety continues. Amazon was still selling some models.