Amazon, eBay, Walmart Class Action Lawsuit: Seat Belt Extenders are Defective

Amazon, Walmart, and eBay have been hit with a class action lawsuit by three consumers who claim that the seat belt extenders they purchased from these websites are defective.

Plaintiffs Keith Anderson, Matthew Cooper, and Sabrina Warner say that seat belt extenders are meant only for use by severely obese adults who can’t fasten their seat belt using the material that is already part of their vehicle.

The Amazon class action lawsuit states that seat belt extenders have not been crash-tested by any American carmakers. The plaintiffs claim that the car manufacturing industry does not make crash test dummies big enough to perform these types of tests.

In addition, the Walmart class action alleges that the sale of seat belt extenders has grown rapidly over the last 10 years.

The eBay class action says that, in the early 2000s, car manufacturers started using pocketed or recessed seat belts in the back seat of cars because it was deemed safer for adults. That said, they create a hardship for those who wear thick clothing or those who wear utility belts such as police officers.

“Importantly, pocketed seat belt receptacles also pose an especially aggravating challenge for parents who have children riding in child seats and booster seats, by making it much harder to install child seats, and nearly impossible for a child riding in a booster seat to buckle-up on their own,” the Amazon seat belt extender lawsuit states.

Thus, consumers thought that using a seat belt extender would be a viable solution, but they were not informed about the risks associated with using seat belt extenders in this way, and risked harm to themselves and their children, the plaintiffs allege.

The Walmart class action states that major car manufacturers like Audi, Chevrolet, Nissan, and Toyota have warned consumers that using a seat belt extender can injure or kill a child if it is used on child restraints.

Plaintiff Keith Anderson states that he purchased two seat belt extenders from Walmart, one for him and one for his child.

Anderson says that Walmart claims that the extenders are “‘[p]erfect for safety and comfort, and ideal for use with baby and infant seats,’ and features a picture of the extender being used with a child in a booster seat.”

The plaintiffs state that Amazon, Walmart and eBay have violated the Arkansas, California, Tennessee, and Washington Consumer Fraud Laws, common law fraud, negligent representation and are asking for punitive damages.

“Defendants acted willfully, intentionally, or at the very least with malice or reckless indifference, in misrepresenting the safety, testing, and uses of seat belt extenders,” the eBay seat belt extender class action lawsuit claims.

Amazon has recently been the subject of a class action lawsuit filed by customers who claim that they purchased popcorn machines from the company but the lettering of the word POPCORN was printed upside down.

In addition, the company has also been accused of selling recalled items.

Did you purchase a seat belt extender from Amazon, Walmart, or eBay? Leave a message in the comments section below.

The plaintiffs are represented by Dan Channing Stanley and Richard E. Collins of Stanley Kurtz & Collins PLLC.

The Seat Belt Extender Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Keith Anderson, et al. v. Amazon.com, et al., Case No. 3:19-cv-01151, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Read More Lawsuit & Settlement News:

Walmart Class Action Says Great Value Ice Cream Lacks Vanilla

Whistleblower False Claims Lawsuit Against Boston Heart Settled for $26.7 Million

Amazon Echo Dot Allegedly Violates Kids’ Privacy

Shingles Vaccine: Zostavax vs. Shingrix