Clarification on Valco recall
Valco Trimode EX
You may have heard about the Valco Baby stroller recall so we wanted to help clarify what the recall involves and how it affects you.
In April 2010, Valco Baby became aware of Consumer Reports finding that their grab bar did not pass safety standards. As a company committed to safety, Valco Baby immediately issued a directive to remove all grab bars from inventory and pulled them all from their inventory that shipped from their warehouse. This occurred April 31, 2010. The voluntary recall announced today is basically the same as Valco Baby directed before, but this time was in conjunction and under the direction of the CPSC that was alerted to the safety issue identified in Consumer Reports.
The safety issue that Consumer Reports found was that the opening between the grab/bumper bar and the seat of the stroller can allow an infant and become entrapped by the bar posing a strangulation hazard to young children when not harnessed. The key to all of this is that it points out a potential issue if the child is not properly strapped in with the safety belt. We hope most parents know that is crucial for their infants to be properly harnessed in their strollers but this brings up an issue if the parents fail to secure their babies properly.
The recall has nothing to do with the safety of the strollers themselves, just the size of the bumper bar. Once the grab bar is replaced, the issue is resolved.
It should be known that Valco Baby, a family owned and run business, stepped up to the plate the moment they heard about the issue back in April. They immediately pulled the bumper bars from inventory and contacted their retailers to do the same. Safety is a primary concern for them and we applaud their efforts to get the issue corrected promptly and properly.
So, your next question is: Does this affect my Valco stroller? If you ordered a stroller after May 1st, it is likely that the old bar was removed and the new bar was put in the box. If your box has a round blue sticker on it, the new grab bar was put in the box. If your carton is white and blue, it is also not affected. Still don’t know? Your best bet is to contact Valco Baby directly at www.valcobaby.com or email them at recall@valcobaby.com. They can help you sort it out and if you have the old grab bar, they will send you a replacement free of charge.
Happily, there have been no injuries reported as a result of the recall. We firmly feel that Valco continues to be one of the best stroller brands on the market, or else we wouldn’t be offering it.
That’s one of the things that set Strollermama.com apart from other companies. We only carry brands that meet our strict guidelines like function, quality, safety, company integrity, and reliability.
