Class Action Lawsuit Alleges UPPAbaby Knowingly Sold Defective Car Seats

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims certain UPPAbaby car seats are defective in that a child’s body can sink low into the seat, resulting in a chin-to-chest posture while seated that may cause visible discomfort, excessive drooling, choking and respiratory issues, especially for newborns.

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The 49-page lawsuit alleges that UPPAbaby, a retailer of “high-end baby products” owned by Monahan Products LLC, knowingly sold its Mesa Max, Mesa V2 and Aria car seat models without a disclaimer of the apparent defect, which the suit stresses poses “an unreasonable safety hazard to consumers and their children.”

More specifically, the alleged UPPAbaby car set defect can cause a child to sit in a “C” position, in which the spine curves and the chin tucks directly into the chest, the suit says. Per the case, this posture while a child is seated poses a risk of suffocation or positional asphyxiation, especially for newborns with weak neck muscles.

According to the complaint, some consumers have reported in reviews across various websites that they had to pull the baby out of their seat to normalize their breathing and call emergency services due to car seat position-related respiratory issues.

“A child suffering these problems can also pose a distraction to the driver, as their attention turns from operating the vehicle to assessing the child’s stress,” the filing notes.

According to the filing, the defendant sent to registered Mesa Max car seat owners in August 2024 a notice that characterized the alleged UPPAbaby car seat defect as “merely a matter of comfort” that arises once the product’s infant inlay is removed. Enclosed with the notice was a two-piece foam kit meant to “ensur[e] a better fit for a wider range of infants,” the suit states.

The case emphasizes that the procedure to install this foam kit made no exception for children who may be comfortable without the foam insert, as all car seat owners were instructed to install the insert if their car seat did not already have it.

“The discrepancy between how Defendant characterizes the issue to owners and what it instructs owners to do about the issue indicates Defendant knew the shape of the car seat was a safety issue, and not merely a comfort issue,” the lawsuit asserts.

The class action lawsuit claims that UPPAbaby not only failed to disclose the defect but actively concealed the problem from consumers. The lawsuit points out, for example, that despite UPPAbaby’s alleged knowledge of the problem, the company’s website advertises that the Mesa V2 car seat “maximizes ease to minimize error, which allows parents to move forward with confidence and security,” with its “[r]obust Infant Insert designed to optimize fit and body positioning.”

“Despite the class car seats being defective, Defendant did not provide a refund, and continues to refuse to refund Plaintiffs and Class Members’ purchases of the class car seats, all to Defendant’s profit and at the expense of innocent consumers,” the complaint states.

The UPPAbaby and Monahan Products class action lawsuit seeks to represent all California residents who bought an UPPAbaby brand Mesa Max, Mesa V2 or Aria car seat within the applicable statute of limitations.

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