Transport Canada has issued a safety notice for the Dorel Designer 22 infant restraint system sold under the brand names Cosco, Eddie Bauer, Safety 1st and Quinny because the seat may separate from the base or the base may crack during a severe frontal collision. The responsibilities of Transport Canada are similar to those of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the U.S.

The Designer 22 is a rear-facing infant car seat. It is designed to be used with or without a detachable base. Of the more than two million units sold, nearly 260,000 were in Canada. The affected units were manufactured between January 1, 2001 and March 19, 2009.

According to the notice, the problem was found during testing that went beyond existing standards, which the seats meet. During Transport Canada's in-vehicle crash tests, some Designer 22 infant seats separated from the base and some bases cracked. Further testing and analysis using an acceleration sled to replicate the crash forces seen in the earlier vehicle tests had the same result.

Transport Canada, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the manufacturer and the importer are not aware of any real-world occurrences involving seat-from-base separation. And a spokesman for NHTSA told us that the seat complies with all applicable U.S. standards.

On its Web site, Dorel responded that, "Dorel Distribution Canada believes this [Consumer Information Notice] is extremely misleading to consumers.  To be clear, the testing was conducted under extreme test conditions which do not at all replicate standard Canadian safety standards."

Still, Transport Canada says that Dorel "is undertaking voluntary action to introduce a number of production changes to the infant seat to improve its performance in more severe collisions than is currently required in the safety standards."

To avoid the possibility of a seat-from-base separation, Transport Canada is recommending that seat owners follow the manufacturer's "without base" method of installing the infant seat in the vehicle. This is done using the vehicle seat belt, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Consumers who need a replacement instruction manual can call Dorel Distribution Canada's helpline at 1-866-556-0029.