Jané Grand car seat safety alert - what you need to know
Car seat maker Jané issued a recall for its Group 1,2,3 car seat Jané Grand, but is disputing the claims that the seat is unsafe
A safety test reported by consumer group Which? has concluded that the Group 1,2,3 Jané Grand car seat is unsafe in the event of a front impact crash.
When tested in Group 1 mode with a crash test dummy representing a 3 year old, the report stated that the ISOFIX connectors "couldn’t withstand the high forces of the frontal impact crash and broke".
This led to car seat makers Jané issuing a voluntary recall and a replacement programme of its Grand car seat in June 2017. Jané is waiting for the seat to be re-reviewed in the autumn of 2018 and expects it to pass all the tests.
So what is the safety issue with the Jané Grand?
Following an internal investigation by the car seat manufacturer, the brand is disputing the consumer site's findings, arguing that the ISOFIX connectors on the Grand car seat did not break.
According to Jané, the actual problem with the tested seat is that it had a missing washer. This resulted in the seat moving 7cm when it was put in a crash test situation.
Jané claims this movement is still within the parameters of the ADAC Eurotest "and at no time did the Grand car seat become detached from the ISOFIX mountings as inaccurately stated" [in the report].
Are all Jane Grand car seats affected?
No, there were 150 Grand car seats sold in the UK before the seat was tested. As soon as the results were known, Jané physically inspected all Grand car seats in the UK and found them to be safe.
What can I do if I have a Jané Grand car seat?
Check if your seat is affected by scanning the QR code on your car seat, or filling out the model details at this specific page on Jane's website.
Jané remains confident in the safety of the unaffected Grand car seats saying in a statement to MadeForMums,
"We are one of the few car seat brands to have our own Crash Testing Research Centre and are renowned for producing extremely safe car restraint systems.
"We are hoping to have the seat reviewed again in the autumn by Which? and are expecting top class results. Jané work in close partnership with ADAC and work with their suggestions as we have with the Grand car seat test results."
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Authors
Having been a journalist for 15 years – and Reviews Editor at MadeForMums for five of those – Hazelann has accrued a lot of experience testing and reviewing every baby product imaginable.
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