1.5 Million Graco Strollers Recalled; Manufacturer Takes Advantage of Social Media Outlets to Inform Consumers

Graco Children’s Products, Inc. of Atlanta and the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on January 20, 2010 an enormous recall of Graco children’s strollers. This decision was made after Graco received seven reports of injury resulting from children placing their fingers in the stroller’s canopy hinge mechanism while the canopy was being opened or closed. Five finger amputations and two fingertip lacerations were reported.

In all, 1.5 million units, including the Graco Passage, Alano and Spree Strollers, and Travel Systems, were recalled, making it the largest stroller recall in history.

This latest recall is not the first of its kind. In November 2009, approximately 1 million strollers were recalled by the CPSC and the British manufacturer Maclaren after twelve reports of children’s fingertips being amputated by a hinge mechanism similar to that involved in the latest Graco recall. In 2005, 1.1 million Graco-manufactured strollers were recalled as a result of their failure to latch properly, causing some strollers to unexpectedly collapse during use.

In this latest stroller recall, Graco has reportedly acted swiftly and cooperated with the CPSC in taking corrective measures for consumers. Graco immediately set up an interactive blog and FAQ page to provide information and instructions for consumers to order a free protective cover repair kit. Graco, taking advantage of all aspects of social media, has also been praised by some for its prompt responses to consumers’ questions and concerns on its Twitter account.