An urgent national safety alert has been issued to millions of British parents after an investigation revealed potentially lethal child car seats are being sold by third-party sellers on Amazon and eBay.
The Department for Business and Trade has been forced to issue an official recall notice for the unsafe products, which shockingly failed to meet basic legal safety standards during testing. The seats, sold under brand names like 'Leelai' and 'Zeebu', could catastrophically fail in the event of a collision, putting a child's life at extreme risk.
Critical Safety Failures Exposed
Consumer champion Which? conducted rigorous crash tests on a sample of seats purchased online. The results were horrifying. The investigation uncovered multiple critical failures, including:
- Catastrophic structural collapse upon impact.
- Harness straps stretching dangerously or snapping completely.
- Fake or non-existent safety certification labels.
- A complete failure to meet UK legal standards for child car seats.
"In a crash, these seats would offer little to no protection," a Which? expert stated. "They could quite literally be the difference between life and death."
The Online Marketplace Loophole
The alarming discovery highlights a significant loophole in the safety protocols of giant e-commerce platforms. Despite policies against such items, third-party sellers continue to list and sell these dangerous products to unsuspecting parents, often at temptingly low prices.
Both Amazon and eBay have stated they have removed the identified listings and continue to proactively block millions of unsafe products annually. However, consumer groups argue that the platforms must do more to prevent these items from being listed in the first place, rather than acting after they are discovered.
What Parents Must Do Now
If you have purchased a car seat from an online marketplace, especially from a lesser-known brand, you are urged to:
- Check the official recall notice on the UK Government's website.
- Immediately stop using the seat if it matches the description of the recalled models.
- Contact the seller directly to demand a full refund.
- Report any unsafe listings directly to the platform (Amazon or eBay).
Authorities emphasise that when it comes to child car safety, parents should always buy from reputable, recognised retailers and look for the official 'E' mark, which certifies the product meets essential safety requirements.
