By ELEANOR BLACK consumer reporter
Two potentially dangerous types of children's carseats are still being sold in New Zealand, despite the Plunket Society questioning their safety and the Australian manufacturer recalling them.
Labels on the back of some IGC Mother's Choice and GoSafe carseats have been partly blacked out, giving parents wrong
instructions on how to use them.
The label modification means they do not meet the Australian and New Zealand standard. Plunket has serious doubts about their safety in a crash.
The seats are designed for use by babies and toddlers up to 18kg in weight.
About 200 of the mislabelled carseats have been sold to New Zealand retailers in the past year and IGC Australia general manager Robert Berchik said someone in his company had accidentally altered the labels.
The company issued a recall even though he believed the restraints, even if improperly used, were "perfectly safe".
He thought most of the carseats had been picked up in the recall after he advised the company's New Zealand general manager of the problem.
"We're still trying to work out what really happened ... We were assured that they were gone."
But Plunket said there was no formal, publicised recall, parents had not been told of the problem and mislabelled IGC carseats were still being sold last week.
IGC New Zealand manager Anne Brewer said the word "recall" was not used when shops were asked to return carseats, but she believed that no seats with incorrect labelling were being sold.
"The important thing is, there is no safety issue. It's a labelling compliance and the seat is not unsafe."
The label - on the back of each restraint near a slot - should read "No Seat Belt Here" but instead reads "Seat Belt Here".
Plastic tags that are meant to stop people using the back slot have also been removed.
The modified label conflicts with the carseat's instruction manual, which advises a different route for the seat belt.
Plunket national child safety adviser Sue Campbell said: "It's confusing for the public.
"It's a pretty horrendous issue."
She wants the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the Land Transport Safety Authority to organise a formal recall.
Mother's Choice and GoSafe seats, sold by the Baby Factory, cost $199 to $379.
Baby Factory spokesman Warren Lowe said the restraints were popular and he did not know of any problems.
Tony Leverton, spokesman for the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, said the ministry heard about the labelling problem in mid-December and immediately asked the LTSA to set up a meeting with the importer.
Anyone who owns an IGC carseat with a modified label can return it to where it was bought for a refund or a new seat.
By ELEANOR BLACK consumer reporter
Two potentially dangerous types of children's carseats are still being sold in New Zealand, despite the Plunket Society questioning their safety and the Australian manufacturer recalling them.
Labels on the back of some IGC Mother's Choice and GoSafe carseats have been partly blacked out, giving parents wrong
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.