MacLaren Recall Pushchairs in the US
MacLaren's umbrella fold pushchairs have been recalled in the US and MacLaren are offering owners free hinge covers to protect little fingers from being caught in the hinges.
Why? This action has been made following 15 reports of children placing their finger in the stroller's hinge mechanism, resulting in 12 reports of fingertip amputations in the United States. Around 1million pushchairs have been affected by the recall.
MacLaren are not recalling the Pushchairs purchased in the UK. A spokeswoman for Maclaren stated:- "The US is considered a different market with different requirements", however, they did not comment further on why the two markets were being treated so differently.
Maclaren's spokeswoman says the pushchairs "exceeded European standards, which are higher than those in the US."
According to Maclaren, the term "recall" has a different meaning in the US. "It does not mean the pushchairs have been taken off the market. It means corrective action or the modification of products, which can be carried out in the home. In response to accidents which occurred when pushchairs were not operated in line with instructions and safety guidelines our US company decided to voluntarily supply kits to cover the elbow joint as a safety measure".
A spokeswoman said the kits were "not deemed necessary at the present time" for UK customers. Maclaren is neither giving them away nor offering them for pushchair owners to buy.
The models affected are:-
Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, Techno XLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.
MacLaren's advice to UK customers
In a statement, Maclaren Europe Limited said its products had been assessed and were safe. It added: "We wish to reassure our customers that they should continue to use their existing Maclaren buggies since they are safe when opened and closed correctly".
"As further reassurance we have updated our operating instructions and placed a warning label on the buggy to ensure that customers take care and keep children away from the buggy when it is being folded or unfolded. Our advice is that consumers should take the same level of caution and care as when opening or closing a car door or any other moving part that can be found in many other baby and toddler products."
Mothercare, who stock MacLaren pushchairs are providing the guidelines MacLaren have issued for the safe folding of all their buggies in stores and online.
This should remind us all of the need to be extra careful when operating pushchairs and encourage children not to play with them. If you do have any further concerns, the best advice is to contact MacLaren in the UK to see what kind of advice they have available.
If you are looking to purchase a pushchair, and would like an alternative to the MacLaren range, check out the following:-
Full range of Pushchairs listed on Baby Mooch.
