NHTSA warns about recessed child-seat buckles

The buckles in these seats can easily collect debris such as food particles and dirt and become hard to latch and unlatch, NHTSA said. In some cases, the debris may cause a buckle to appear to be securely latched when it actually isn't.

To ensure that a child is securely fastened in a child safety seat, consumers should check that the buckle is fully latched every time the seat is used. To check the latch, consumers should:

• Insert the latch plate fully into the buckle
  
• Listen for a click
  
• Tug firmly on the harness webbing to make sure the buckle is latched