Consumer Reports Recall Own Article

Early this month, Consumer Reports issued safety alert on infant car seats in its February issue of the Consumer Reports Magazine. The article claims that 2 out of 12 infant car seats passed the high-speed front and side crash tests. Today, Consumer Reports, which usually advice consumers on product recalls, is recalling its own article. According to the website,

We withdrew the report immediately upon discovering a substantive issue that may have affected the original test results. The issue came to light based on new information received Tuesday night and Wednesday morning from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concerning the speed at which our side-impact tests were conducted.

From what I heard on WCBS radio tonight on my home, it seems that the tests, which were conducted by a third party, were not under 35 or 38 mph speed, but rather 70 mph speed. New York Times online edition [registration required] says that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “tried to duplicate the magazine’s results at a government laboratory last weekend. The agency does not have a standard for side impacts but said that at 38 m.p.h., the seats all appeared to do well.”

Well, everybody makes mistakes, even the authoritative sources like Consumer Reports.