Mockingbird strollers recalled after complaints of frames cracking, hurting children
HOUSTON - Mockingbird is recalling 149,000 strollers after more than one hundred families have complained that their strollers broke, often dropping their children and sometimes in busy streets.
Vanessa Diaz and Ben Odell say their twins were in their Mockingbird Single-to-Double stroller when it snapped. "It was terrifying, completely terrifying," said Vanessa Diaz.
"We’ll push forward and show you what happens, completely splits apart. My daughter was completely forward and my son is falling back like this," the parents said, showing us their broken stroller.
They say their daughter was nearly hurt. "She was literally suspended over the street, with her head just an inch or two off the concrete of the street."
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Ealeal Ginott says her Mockingbird stroller suddenly broke while pushing her two children across a busy city street.
"The front where my son was sitting, who’s three, just collapsed into the asphalt," said Ginott. "The portion that was facing the parent where my baby was being carried collapsed into the storage basket."
Ginott says she scrambled to get her kids out of the street.
"I was just shaking because I kept picturing what happened and thinking how it could have been different in mere seconds. We could have been run over," said Ginott.
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In late October, Mockingbird urged parents on social media to stop using the stroller if they see cracks, while they worked with the Consumer Produce Safety Commission on the next steps.
Consumer Reports, which first reported on the complaints, says they're concerned a recall wasn't issued until now.
"We were concerned to hear that it was 138 reports that Mockingbird had collected," said Oriene Shin with Consumer Reports. "We think the company should have acted sooner."
In Mockingbird's voluntary recall for its Single-to-Double Stroller sold between March 2020 to September 2022, owners can get a free Frame Reinforcement Kit. Affected strollers have lot numbers between 20091 and 22602, found on the inner left side of the stroller near the top of the basket. They were sold at Target and online retailers for $395 to $450.
But after 138 incidents, we asked Mockingbird why they did not fully recall the strollers sooner.
Mockingbird responded with this written statement:
"We did, in fact, issue a full voluntary recall – per the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC’s) guidelines for a Corrective Action Plan, the remedial action in a recall can either be a Repair, Replacement, or Refund. In this case, we are able to confidently help affected customers with a Repair by providing them with a free Frame Reinforcement Kit. The Frame Reinforcement Kit includes two small clamps that further reinforce the strength of the stroller frame and help prevent the rare issue associated with this voluntary recall from being able to occur. The Kit underwent extensive 3rd party testing and has been reviewed and approved by the CPSC."
But some parents say they want to see more done.
"These are our children’s lives. At the end of the day, that’s what this is about, the safety of our kids," said Diaz.
Mockingbird and the CPSC did not respond to our question about why a recall wasn't issued sooner.
Consumers can call Mockingbird at (877) 274-3240 or email the company at recall@hellomockingbird.com.
Consumers can report any dangerous product to SaferProducts.gov.