Graco recalls more child seats

4.2 million child seats recalled

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It started at 3.8 million. On Thursday another 403,000 recalls were added and now Graco has issued the fourth largest recall in history.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Graco seats have faulty harness buckles that can essentially trap your child in the seat. Channel 4's Tim Pulliam spoke to a local mom Thursday night who called Channel 4 very concerned about her child's car seat.

"It just freaked me out," said Beverly Raile. "Nowadays you expect your baby to be safe in a car seat."

Raile is a mother of three. She said just last month she bought a Graco 65LX infant seat for her daughter. It turns out her seat is not on the recall list.

"I'm relieved but being a mother, I can't imagine how I would feel if one of mine was the one affected," said Raile.

Currently infant car seats are not on the recall list -- just the child seats. But the infant seats have the same buckles and the government's road safety watchdog wants them on the list, too.

Danielle Kessenger is a child passenger safety tech for the group "Safe Kids." She said the buckle doesn't affect the crash-worthiness of the seat, but there are concerns about being able to get your child out in a medical emergency. She said she knows of at least one case where parents had to cut their child out of the harness.

"If you need to get the child out because of a choking or a seizure, that would be a danger," said Kessenger. "But car crashes themselves, only one and one-half of 1 percent involve fire or water, so that part isn't as much of an issue."

Graco is resisting adding the infant seats to the recall. They said the entire seat can be removed, whether the buckle is faulty or not. They have until March 20 to formally explain to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration why they're not recalling them.

Click to view added items to the recall list.

Listed below also:

Argos 70 Elite, Ready Ride, Step 2, My Ride 65 with Safety Surround, My Size 70, Head Wise 70 with Safety Surround, Nautilus 3-in-1, Nautilus Plus, and Smart Seat with Safety Surround, according to NHTSA documents.

View the previous list here.

Graco is offering to replace the buckle with a new design, free of charge. Registered owners will be notified beginning around early April 2014, and offered the free replacement buckle. All other owners may contact Graco at 1-800-345-4109 (toll-free) or 1-330-869-7225.