Vehicle: 2002 E320 4Matic, 101K miles as of 7/2008
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 389
lorenzo - i believe that there may be a problem w/ britax seats based on what has been said above, along w/ the fact that no one has refuted it. if there has been a problem w/ kids unlatching themselves, i'd just as soon avoid the brand.
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2002 E320 4matic, black on beige, 100K w/ 17" sport rims
RIP: 2000 E430 4Matic loaded - totaled 12/9/2006
Our other car: 2000 Lexus ES300, Platinum Edition, 89K
lorenzo - i believe that there may be a problem w/ britax seats based on what has been said above, along w/ the fact that no one has refuted it. if there has been a problem w/ kids unlatching themselves, i'd just as soon avoid the brand.
People say childhood immunizations can lead to the development of autism, but you're not going to deny your children those, are you?
I don't mean to be so dramatic about it, but if you're going to avoid one of the safest car seat brands out there because someone said their kid can unlatch themself, you're missing the grand picture.
Note: If the person who made this claim really thought this was a problem, why was the Britax still being used? Because it's not a problem...
Vehicle: 2002 E320 4Matic, 101K miles as of 7/2008
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 389
while britax might have a reputation for safety, i'll repeat that no one has been able to refute the idea here that a child may be able to unlatch himself from one of these. i don't know this brand from a hole in the wall and i'm glad i don't now because i'll be more careful about my research rather than just trust what the masses feel is "the safest brand out there". the only person that even attempted to explain the issue that was brought up said that "if the child is able to unlatch himself, he's old enough to know not to do that", which is backward logic. this is a bit more black & white than immunizations; it's a child going through a windshield because of a design fault (if you want drama, there it is).
while britax might have a reputation for safety, i'll repeat that no one has been able to refute the idea here that a child may be able to unlatch himself from one of these. i don't know this brand from a hole in the wall and i'm glad i don't now because i'll be more careful about my research rather than just trust what the masses feel is "the safest brand out there". the only person that even attempted to explain the issue that was brought up said that "if the child is able to unlatch himself, he's old enough to know not to do that", which is backward logic. this is a bit more black & white than immunizations; it's a child going through a windshield because of a design fault (if you want drama, there it is).
Just to clarify the alleged "flaw" that was brought up, the child doesn't actually "unlatch" the restraint. There is a release lever located near the bottom front of the seat to loosen the shoulder harness to facilitate taking your child in and out of the seat. I believe this is what we are talking about here. The buckle that actually holds the five point harness together (and ultimately keeps the child in the seat) remains intact. If an 18 month old can release this buckle (which if this child could, this Houdini would be able to get out of ANY car seat), then that would be a true flaw in the system.
I agree that you shouldn't always go with the masses. But in this case, you should. Britax owners, myself included, would never take a chance with our little ones if there was truly a safety issue with this release lever.
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