Graco recalled strollers: MetroLite and QuattroOct. 20, 2010 -- The strangulation deaths of four babies has led Graco to recall 2 million Quattro and MetroLite brand strollers.

The deaths aren't recent. They occurred between 2003 and 2005. That bothers Donald Mays, senior director of product safety for Consumer Reports.

"This troubles me very much. It seems to me way too long before Graco recalled these products," Mays tells WebMD. "It seems that for this company there are lots of cases where injuries mounted before something was done."

In 2005, Mays says, Graco was levied a record civil penalty for failing to report problems to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

In January, Graco recalled 1.5 million strollers after five children lost fingertips in the canopy hinge.

The strollers in the current recall were sold between November 2000 and December 2007.

The danger is that babies, especially infants under age 12 months, can slip through the opening between the stroller tray and the seat bottom. In these strollers, the opening is big enough for the baby's torso to slip through, but not big enough for the baby's head. Infants thus caught by the neck can strangle.

In addition to the four deaths, the CPSC has received five reports of infants becoming trapped in the strollers, resulting in cuts and bruises, and one report of an infant having trouble breathing.

These problems do not happen if the baby is secured in the stroller harness and the child is not left unattended in the stroller.

Mays says that Consumer Reports has tested new versions of Graco's Quattro and MetroLite strollers, and that both models pass its stringent safety tests.

However, two other brands of strollers from other manufacturers -- Tike Tech and Valco Baby -- did not pass the tests. Consumer Reports notified the CPSC, and the products were recalled two weeks ago.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Graco strollers and should contact Graco at 877-838-4046 for a free repair kit.

Here's the list of strollers included in the current recall. The model numbers are printed on a label at the lower portion of the rear frame, just above the rear wheels or underneath the stroller. The name "Graco" appears on a label on the stroller tray and the headrest.

 

Quattro Stroller
$100-$190
Distributed Between
Nov 2002 - Dec 2007
   

Quattro Stroller Travel System
$200-$250
Distributed Between
Oct 2002 - Oct 2007
   

MetroLite Stroller
$90-$190
Distributed Between
Nov 2000 - Dec 2007
   

MetroLite Travel System
$190-$250
Distributed Between
Dec 2000 - June 2005

35735
35759
7111ASB
7111BKW
7111CLN
7111CUN
7111DIA
7111HEA
7111HIG
7111LAG
7111KSH
7112CNP
7112MTR
7113CJR
7113CMR
7113COT
7119GGG
7119WSR
7121MAY
7125QST
7126RNS
7127LEG
7132RXY
7134SMB
7138RNS
   

35760
7411ATR
7411BGN
7411BGN2
7411BLB
7411KBK
7411KBK2
7411LV
7411MCH
7411MCH2
7411MLY
7411MLY2
7419LIM
7419LIM2
7419OWD2
7B00BDA
7B00DRB
7B00KAS
7B01MNS
7B03CST2
7B03LTC2
7B03TFE2
   

1104
1240
6110DW
6110F3
6110S7
6110TS7
6111FKB
6111VIN
6113SCR
6114HAV
6114JAM
6114LAG
6114NGS
6116NRF
6120SHL
6121CJG
6121CNP
6121GGG
6121MTR
6123EME
6124LRD
6125SMB
6J01DAI
6J01HRL
6J03RIT
6J04JEN
6J05MIN
   

1070
7000KSB
7308DEL
7308DEL2
7308DEL4
7308TYR
7308TYR2
7406PLT
7408MRT
7409GRG
7410CON
7413CML
7413MRN
C7413CML


NOTE: Quattro and MetroLite strollers ending with the number 3 are NOT affected by this recall.