Britax failed to fix an infant car seat handle defect, a new class action lawsuit alleges

On Sept. 9, 2026, Jessica Kasmer of Bolingbrook, Illinois, filed a class action lawsuit against Britax Child Safety Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

The complaint alleges Britax sold rear-facing infant car seats with a carrying handle that can come apart while a caregiver lifts the seat. It also claims the company knew about the problem for years before recalling 114,660 products in August 2026.

The alleged carry handle defect

A screw inside the handle-hub assembly of the car seat can loosen after extended use and under certain wear conditions, allowing the carrying handle to detach on one side, according to the proposed class action. If that happens while someone carries the seat while it contains a child, the child may fall.

The recall covers six models manufactured between Aug. 17, 2020, and May 16, 2023:


  • B-Safe 35

  • B-Safe Ultra

  • B-Safe Gen2

  • B-Safe Gen2 FlexFit

  • B-Safe Gen2 FlexFit Plus

  • Endeavours

Britax reportedly opened an investigation on Aug. 1, 2026, after a customer reported a detached handle-hub mount and a related injury. The retrospective review identified 217 reports of handle detachment and 312 more describing handles that felt loose, wobbled or otherwise underperformed, including three reports of minor injury since 2016. Britax has not identified any serious injuries or deaths.

Kasmer says she bought a B-Safe Gen2 FlexFit Plus in September 2022. The suit cites Britax's safety marketing, built around the slogan, "we're all about safety," and contends that messaging misled buyers. Kasmer alleges she would not have purchased the car seat or would have paid less had Britax disclosed the defect.

The August recall

Britax notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of a voluntary recall on Aug. 20, 2026, and the agency assigned it campaign number 26C006. The report estimates 1% of the affected seats carry the defect.

The company had not finished testing its fix, an external bracket that holds the handle assembly more securely to the shell, according to the proposed class actin. Britax reportedly told caregivers to stop carrying the seats by the handle until the repair arrives.

The lawsuit alleges the instruction takes away a central and intended feature of an infant carrier, leaving owners to lift the seat by its shell without the portability they paid for.

The legal claims

The lawsuit brings five claims:


  • State consumer protection statutes, which is a multistate claim barring deceptive business practices

  • Fraudulent concealment, which applies when a company withholds a fact buyers need to decide

  • Unjust enrichment, which asks a court to strip profits a company should not keep

  • Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, which is an Illinois subclass claim covering deceptive conduct in the state

  • Breach of implied warranty of merchantability, which is an Illinois subclass claim invoking the unwritten promise that a product will do its basic job

The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, restitution, attorneys' fees and rescission of the purchases, which would refund the full price consumers paid, sales tax included.

What the case means for Britax car seat owners

The proposed class action would cover consumers who bought one of the six recalled models within that manufacturing window. Owners can match a seat's model number and manufacture date against the NHTSA recall report to confirm whether it qualifies.

There is no settlement or compensation at this time.