Letter to Jon Chamberlain, CEO of Evenflo Company, Inc. - Oversight Subcommittee Launches Probe into Car Seat Safety

Letter

Today, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, and Subcommittee Member Katie Porter sent a letter to the Evenflo Company seeking information about its "Big Kid" belt-positioning booster seat following reports that the seats are not safe for children under 40 pounds.

"Evenflo has marketed the "Big Kid' seat as safe and "Side Impact Tested.' That safety representation appears to be inconsistent with the video evidence of side impact testing. In fact, your company's internal tests appear to show that side impacts could put children sitting in the "Big Kid' seat in grave danger," wrote Krishnamoorthi and Porter.

Videos of Evenflo's side-impact tests for the "Big Kid" seat show child-sized test dummies bending violently at the hip, torsos, and neck, as well as test dummy heads being thrown to the side. This video evidence appears to present a high risk of serious injuries to the head, neck, and spine.

The Subcommittee requested that Evenflo provide information regarding "Big Kid' and other belt-positioning booster seats marketed or sold by Evenflo, by February 24, 2020.

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