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When you’re looking to buy a car seat, there are a lot of choices out there. Depending on your income, your vehicle, your child’s height and weight and your knowledge of available car seats, the choice can be overwhelming. A lot of moms go the route of just finding a car seat at a store that they can see in person, that fits their basic requirements and isn’t too expensive, and from there, they call it good.
Unfortunately, like in many markets, the most widely available products are often from some of the worst companies — those who cut corners to lower production cost, mass produce at a ridiculously fast rate, and are generally much more concerned with profit than their consumers. The phrase “What’s easy isn’t always right and what’s right isn’t always easy” is very applicable when it comes to car seat shopping. I’m afraid to say, it needs to take a little more work than running to Wal-Mart.
Because when you do, just how you end up with the syrup full of HFCS and food dyes and chemicals because they didn’t offer anything better, you come out with the same for a car seat, and in this case, most often, your cheap car seat will be manufactured by Dorel Juvenile Group. Dorel creates Maxi-Cosi, Cosco, Safety 1st and Eddie Bauer car seats. And I wouldn’t trust a single one with my child’s life, and here’s why…
When you buy a car seat, you can be sure that it has passed the safety requirements set forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States. However, there’s three reasons that’s not a big deal:
1. Some countries won’t allow US seats because of how low our standards are. Canada, for example, requires use of a top-tether in all forward-facing car seats. Not all of ours even have one.
2. Passing the minimum standards is like getting a D on a test. You passed, but that doesn’t mean you did a good job in the slightest. There are much, MUCH better grades possible. One man, Dr. Ricardo Martinez, who used to be in charge at NHTSA during Bill Clinton’s term said, “It was very clear that the culture in that industry was to meet the standard, not to exceed it.”
3. Our standards flat-out suck. Dr. Martinez also is quoted saying:
bekah stargazing/flickr
“…the federal standard for car seats is so narrowly defined that seats passing the toughest of the tests–simulating a front-end collision at 30 miles per hour–can have serious problems at just a few miles an hour more and yet still meet the standard. We had seats where, if you turned [the test sled] up 5 miles an hour, the seat would disintegrate.“
Considering many of our roads even in town are way above 30 mph, that’s pretty freaking scary. I’m soon moving back to Colorado state where the highway speed is 75 mph. That bare minimum, if that’s all that’s met, would kill my children.
Refusal to Issue Recalls for Deadly Flaws
So, what’s my beef with Dorel? Well, let’s assume you bought a seat of theirs in, say, 2000 or 2001. In 2001, it was discovered that on Costco and Eddie Bauer seats, the straps did not meet standards on resisting abrasion (meaning they got thin with wear and frayed), and they also deteriorated in sunlight quickly enough that they were considered in violation of regulations. Remember, if your child’s straps break in an accident, your car seat is rendered useless and your child goes flying. This is one of the worst malfunctions of a seat possible.
Rather than recalling the seats quickly, Dorel argued about semantics of the regulations… and argued… and argued. Until 2008. Then they took their sweet time, finally recalling the 2000/2001 seats… in 2010. At that time, those seats had a 5-6 year “lifespan”, so though some were still in use that shouldn’t be, the majority hadn’t even been used for 3-5 years at that point. Dorel complained about the cost of notifying people for a recall… people who purchased seats a decade ago, who probably had long-since trashed them as well.
As Z Recommends points out, after issuing this ludicrous recall, three days later, Dorel would recall over 600,000 cribs. Roughly a month earlier, Dorel had announced the recall of 447,000 infant carriers for handle detachment and baby-dropping, and a month later, 30,000 Maxi Cosi infant seats were recalled because pieces could break that would separate the seat from the base and send it flying in a crash. Even with their strong refusal to issue recalls, they still recall things constantly. You can claim it’s because of the quantity of products they produce, but the fact is, their recalls are still more frequent, severe and often delayed than just about any other brand out there… which frankly isn’t surprising, considering they crank out “new models” of car seats faster than you can blink. Within 1 year of being released, the Safety 1st Complete Air has many different model versions. It takes other higher quality manufacturers 5-6 years to make similar changes to a seat, because of their extensive testing they do to each change prior to release.
Oh, but that’s not it. In 2001, they were fined $1.75 million dollars by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for knowingly withholding information about defects on products (cribs, mattresses, car seats, strollers, wipes warmers, walkers and high chairs) that had caused a handful of deaths and hundreds of injuries. They did change the production of the product and change safety labels… they did not, however, report the injuries nor voluntarily issue a recall. And that wasn’t the first time. Cosco paid $750,000 in 1996 and Safety 1st, $175,00 in 1998 for the same dishonest and dangerous practices.
Denial of Deadly Designs
Next up on the Dorel Hall of Shame menu is the Touriva seat… with the sadly aptly named “Notch of Death.” On a seat they used to manufacture, the Cosco Touriva, the plastic right next to the child’s head was not padded — nor was it smooth. Instead it had U-shaped ridges on both sides. The notch served no purpose, but the shell was the same mold as the seat of another model where those notches were used. But the result of having an uneven notch is that in the year 2000, an 18-month old Oregon girl hit her head on the notch in a low-speed accident… and fractured her skull. But sadly, that’s not the extent of it. Turns out, it actually caused brain damage. A 16-month old girl also suffered brain damage, is blind and at now eight years old, cannot walk, relies on a feeding tube and has no speech above infant sounds.
The Oregon family had photos from a nurse, and the indentation was the exact shape of the ridge in the seat’s shell. The fact that it caused the damage was indisputable… well, except, Dorel disputed it. However, the next year, they hired an engineer, who under oath, swore that they told him to create a 24-cents-per-seat cover for the notch… because it caused serious injuries. However, the cover popped off during crash-tests, so they never even used the piece or offered any recall or repair for owners of the Touriva. In 2001 alone, Dorel made a reported $25 million off this seat alone, but to stop production of the three molds for eight weeks — the time to fix the deadly notch in the molds — would have resulted in a $4 million loss — so they just didn’t do it. In 2003, they finally eliminated the notch in one of the three molds being made, and an engineer pointed out that eliminating it in one just raised more questions about why it remained in the other two. It took until 2005 for the notch to finally be completely eliminated, and though they paid out in both cases mentioned here, and more, they still denied being at-fault.
Lack of Caring about Safety Recommendations
One of the problems a lot of people have with their seats from a technician point of view is they often have short shells and harness heights, and up until recently, low rear-facing weight limits as well. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping children rear-facing until they are at least two years old, but strongly recommends keeping them rear-facing past that as long as their car seat allows, either in weight or until their head is less than an inch from the top of the shell. Prior to the new recommendation of two years old, the minimum was one year old and at least twenty pounds, but the suggestion to remain as long as possible still stood true. In 2009, Dorel said:
“We recommend parents to keep their child in rear-facing infant carriers for as long as possible and not to switch to a more convenient forward facing seat at the earliest opportunity. However, most parents around the world eventually make the change because rearward facing child car seats are simply impractical in most situations. They take up a huge amount of room in the car, usually necessitating the front seats to be moved forward, and they don’t even fit in some smaller cars. Unless the child is given sufficient legroom, he or she will be cramped against the car’s seatback. It can be incredibly difficult for a parent to get a larger child into such a seat and the fitting system is often very complex, increasing the chance of incorrect fitting. In addition, although rearward facing is arguably the safest travelling position, most of us prefer not to travel that way. It reduces the growing child’s ability to interact with those in the front seats, to look around and see where they are going.”
If you’re not up to speed, here’s what’s wrong with that:
- Rear-facing is not impractical. You have to do it for at LEAST a year, so asking to not go and change things around but to leave them alone isn’t that big of a deal.
- After one year, convertible seats can be angled more upright than an infant seat, and almost end up requiring the seat to be pushed forward less than an infant seat does as a result.
- We have never come across a vehicle, aside from two-seat sports cars, that cannot fit a car seat.
- Children’s legs are flexible, and they often stretch them up the back of the seat, sit cross-legged, or put them over the edges. Many kids find this more comfortable than having their legs dangle. Heck, my legs are propped up right now. Also, if you’re choosing between breaking legs or a neck… “Broken legs, cast it. Broken neck, casket.”
- Larger children can climb in themselves, and often are glad to assist, and this is a poor argument against safety.
- The mechanisms are no more complex than an infant seat.
- Children can see out side and rear-windows, as long as your vehicle has them, and your child does not care if it’s behind the car or in front they see.
- Drivers need to be driving, not interacting with their children. Soft mirrors can allow the driver to see the child’s face and vice versa, and your car is a time for safety, vigilance and necessity — not play. Your child can still hear your voice, sing songs, and interact with you without facing forward.
In other words, they made up a lot of stupid arguments we hear all too often — none of which are sufficient reasons to make a child 500% more likely to die in a car crash. Way to show you’re dedicated to safety, guys. NOT.
Continuation of Production of Dangerous Seats
Am I done NOW? Sadly, no. I’m STILL not done. You remember the overhead shield car seats and shield booster? With the bar that just snaps down in front of the child, with the three-point-harness? Or the bar that the belt just goes over?
These meet “minimum safety standards” but since they weren’t very adjustable, small children were often ejected, or kids suffered injuries to the abdomen and head from hitting the bar, or to the spine from the body being forced to bend over the bar, which left some children dead or disabled. Dorel has paid out on multiple injury lawsuits on these seats, without ever admitting fault. $13 million dollars, in one case, is a lot of money to pay if you’re not at fault, isn’t it?
And though the American Academy of Pediatrics said in 1996 that these seats were dangerous, and should never be used for children under 40 pounds minimum, Dorel still sold them without this restriction… well, they told Canada 40 pounds was the minimum, but told the US 30 pounds was — on the same models, and pointed to a test done by their own analysts to say they were fine. Yet, when almost all other manufacturers had discontinued this type of seat, Dorel released a new one, the “Grand Explorer”, and with it’s low cost (often under $20 on sale), it sold well — 10 million in a 19 year period.
“Why do we continue to recommend the Explorer, in particular, for children under 40 pounds?” A pediatrician asked a Dorel product manager in an e-mail disclosed during a lawsuit. “Why wouldn’t a 35-pound child be in a convertible car seat or a high back booster?” Those types of seats offer more upper-body protection.
“Why?” the product manager responded. “It still sells.”
And that, friends, is what we’re facing.
A company who knowingly refuses to recall dangerous or even deadly products unless caught, who then delays the recall as long as possible, complaining about the cost of informing the consumers, who continues to produce a seat that everyone else warned against and even stopped making because it caused just as much damage as it prevented.
So I ask you… when looking at car seats, if you see a $50 Dorel seat and a $100 seat by another company, who will you choose? Maybe your budget is $50. Is your child’s safety and well-being more important to you than some movies you could sell, some blood you could donate for money, or even some services like lawn mowing or house cleaning you could offer on Craigslist? Given proper motivation, most people could make $50… or more… in a day or two, easily. Not only will you be able to buy a seat that will last you longer and be more comfortable for your child, but you’re also buying peace of mind, and the knowledge that you’re not giving money to a company who thinks informing your that their product might kill your child to be inconvenient and expensive.
It’s kind of a no-brainer.
And that, my friends, is why I will never put my child in another Dorel seat, nor will I recommend them to anyone, ever.
Tags: aap car seats, car seat safety, car seat safety standards, car seats, carseats, cosco car seat, dorel car seats, dorel juvenile group, education, safety, touriva notch of death, traveling with baby
McKenna has already started climbing in the her rear facing Britax and trying to buckle herself at less than 21 months.. I of course make sure everything is buckled, but it makes it so much easier than trying to hoist her into her carseat in my tiny car. She’ll be rear facing until she’s atleast 4, unless she gains 16 pounds and hasa major growth spurt in the next two years.. which I highly doubt, since my soon to be 5 year old could still technically rear face in McKenna’s car seat with the weight and seated height requirements. Oh, and BTW.. another great article Christie
Very scary and well written!
I have a Safety 1st Complete Air for Nicholas. And I’m a Car Seat Tech. This blog is very biased. Dorel has the most recalls because they are the most widely used company for child products. They are the parent company for a few different companies so the will ALWAYS have the most recalls. Blogs like this irk me because this will deter parents from buying a Dorel seat for their child because they can’t afford the Graco or Britax and then the child winds up in no seat or an expired/old one just because it’s not a Dorel brand. I will NEVER tell a parent that comes into a car seat check to get a different seat if they have a Dorel car seat unless that seat doesn’t fit the child properly or install properly. FTR the Safety 1st Complete Air car seats are the TALLEST car seats on the market. TALLER than Sunshine Kids Raidan car seats, TALLER than the Graco MyRide, TALLER than ANY Britax seat. The GRACO Comfort Sport is the shortest seat on the market. That is usually outgrown by 2yrs old FF. Furthermore the fact that she states that RF is 500% safer is ONLY true until about 2yrs old. After that it IS safer but not 500%(which is a really exaggerated way to say 5x). There is STILL a market for child safety seats that are SAFE and TESTED for children who are 1yr and 20lbs because regardless of the AAP or NHTSA, more parents flip a child when they legally can because they just don’t know or don’t want to have a child RF still because FF is more “convenient”. I would rather see a FF 1yr old/20lb child in a seat that allows for that than see them in a seat that doesn’t allow that and be using the seat improperly. ALSO Dorel(to my knowledge) is the ONLY company that has a height requirement for FF. Which means kids are more likely to have to stay RF in Dorel seats because they do not meet the minimum for FF. And as I agree that OHS car seats are not safe and should not be used however remember that this is a company. They are here to make money so they WILL continue to make a product as long as it sells. Think of all the aftermarket products like the JJ Cole BundleMe. That is highly UNSAFE and shouldn’t be used however it sells so JJ Cole STILL makes it. Dorel didn’t continue making OHS car seats because they don’t care they did it to make money. That’s just business. There is NOTHING wrong with Dorel child safety seats. This is a blog. This is someones opinion. This blog is NOT fact. If you have a child safety seat by Dorel and it fits your child properly and is installed properly and used properly then your child IS safe in their car seat. I don’t think I’d actually BUY any Graco seat but the Nauti. because the MyRide is too wide for my car and is SHORTER than the Safety 1st seat and I want Nicholas RF until the maximum since it is safer to be RF. I also wouldn’t buy Graco infant seats because they are generally hard to fit a newborn into. The Safety 1st OnBord seats have GREAT infant support and do an awesome job of fitting newborns. If you want car seat advice don’t take it from a silly blog. Take it from a certified car seat tech.
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
Sarah, of course it’s opinionated — it’s a blog. None of it is not factual, though. And as I’ve said a million times now it seems, it’s not just the height and weight of a seat you need to look at — the company’s history of recalls, the severity of the recalls, and how they handle them is very, very important, as well as what care they put into production of new seats.
The CA has NOT been around long enough to be proven as safe. However, of COURSE if someone had a very tall child, taller than the Radian could handle (and the Radian is almost ALWAYS more than sufficient) and it was between forward-facing or buying a CA, we’d go with the CA. And if it’s between an expired seat or a Scenera, we’re going to say a Scenera! There’s common sense issues to consider too.
Yes, 500% and 5 times are the same thing. Who cares if I chose 500%? Now you’re splitting hairs to insult the messenger rather than address the message.
As far as saying there’s nothing wrong with their seats — says who? From their record, Dorel wouldn’t tell you if there was! THAT’S the whole point. You should be able to trust the company you’re buying a seat from to not only NOT produce seats they know can cause injury but to also take prompt and thorough action when they discover there’s a problem, which Dorel has shown time and time again that they do NOT do.
This “silly blog” by the way is written entirely based on NHSTA, CPSC and American Academy of Pediatrics information, in addition to news stories and court documents. And from a tech, I expect them to take things like ease of use and trustworthiness of the company the seat comes from, and therefore reliability of the seat and longevity, into consideration as well. Height of the shell and max weight limit are NOT all that matter, just like when I go shopping for a car, I’m going to look at recall information, history of the vehicle line for dangerous issues, and the company’s reputation — not just price. Unfortunately, since we don’t have safety stats available for seats in this country, we have to go by what we do have, and what we DO have is a company with very bad, very scary history that insinuates that there are likely to be many products — possibly car seats — out there RIGHT NOW that they know can cause injuries or death, and aren’t recalling.
I know the company’s made changes, but I’m not about to suggest to people to allow their children to be guinea pigs either, until we’ve SEEN that these seats don’t get recalled, don’t cause injuries, and Dorel doesn’t pay out on lawsuits from those injuries while claiming it’s still not their fault.
So yes, a Dorel seat is better than forward-facing too early, or using an expired seat, but like I said, there are other things you can do to try to acquire different seats, and it doesn’t take that much effort either, if you’re determined.
I do thank you for your comment, and also for your dedication to car seat safety, regardless of our strongly differing opinions on the subject at hand.
And you pinpoint my current issue. My nearly 3yr old is about to outgrow his (old style) boulevard rf by height. I want to keep him rf until at least 4. Problem? I drive a sienna…. so the radian won’t work. Leaving me basically with a CA or ff.
Arg.
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
I don’t quite understand why you say a Radian won’t work if you have a Boulevard there and are considering a CA? If a BLVD or a CA will fit — so will a Radian.
Could you elaborate?
The problem is that I drive a sienna. The Sienna middle row and the radian are notoriously incompatible
The radian over-reclines horribly (making it very unsafe) and loosens itself over time. Theoretically I could put it in the back row and therefore could brace it on the middle row, but then I have one kid who ALWAYS has to go in the back row and I can never fold in the entire back row. Not very practical. 
Radians are seats that can be incompatible with many vehicles I am pretty sure toyotas are one of those vehicle brands. That is probably why a radian won’t work
Also Sunshine kids has a lot of sketch ball stuff going on right now.. there seats are giving people problems all over the place and they are scary problems, but no recalls issued.. for all of these issues
I agree with everything Sarah said honestly…
The only thing I do not like about dorel is the slowness of the recalls.. that is not great.. but we are in a situation where to keep our son rear facing we need a seat with high limits.. so we have a radain 65 AND a complete air.. rear facing is too important.
I just wish I could find one place that says: Hey.. look.. buy these car seats.. the rest are garbage.. here is where to get them.
There is too much, but this one, and that one, this short one, this tall one, this RF, but not this height.. it just all too crazy confusing for me.
Just give us the seat names, where to buy, prices (if possible) and then we will know we are doing the best thing.
I do have a very compelling question though:
I have a VERY expensive seat for my 5 yr. old daughter who sits all the way in the back of my van because I have other smaller children who I have to buckle in. She loosens the seat belt a ridiculous amount, and no matter what I do… she WILL NOT leave the seat belt tight. I have bribed her, scolded her, brought her to the police station and had the police man freak her out. I have showed her crash tests. I have told her how important it is. Basically at my wits end. She waits till I’m not looking and then loosens. I have to keep, dangerously pulling over and over and over to keep going back there to tighten her belts. Would it be better for her to just be in a booster with the van seat belt? Or in her $200.00 five point harness that will not protect her ONE OUNCE because she keeps loosening it?
Good question! My son is 3 and has just started this behavior. If I were you (and I know this sounds “mean”), but I would put something over her hands, tape her thumb to her hand, etc…basically make it functionally impossible for her to manipulate the belt.
Better this than the horrible alternative. You’re always going to miss some time when she loosens it.
Who knows? Maybe the lack of independence and annoyance will finally get her to stop?
Good luck!
Although I’m not a big Dorel fan, and they don’t have a great track record, there is more than meets the eye on some of the facts presented. Like a 30mph sled test into a concrete barrier is more severe than 99.5% of real world… crashes. In real world, things you hit usually move, like other cars, and people are braking before impact, so you don’t normally crash into things at 75mph, or if you do, it moves, like another car on the freeway. Also, all car seats are required to have top tethers, although USE is not required. I agree that Dorel doesn’t have a great track record, but I also provide the Scenera as our program seat because no one else can beat their price and longevity in a convertible. I’ve been in the crash labs were Dorel worked on the Complete Air, they invented a side impact test with the lab to do non-mandated side impact testing. None of which they had to do, by law, they are exceeding standards. We’ve got to remember than typically over half children killed in crashes are simply unrestrained. It’s unequivocal that a Dorel seat is better than no seat, and while that isn’t a ringing endorsement, it is an important fact. I worry that blogs like this make parents panic if they can’t afford something better than their $50 Scenera. It’s far more important that parents have and USE a new (or used with known history) seat than if that seat happens to be a Dorel seat.
I have always had major misgivings over Dorel for many of the reasons listed above. However, I do want to point out that the overhead shield convertible seats (pictured) and the Grand Explorer are two different things. Both are dangerous and both were left on the market too long. The Grand Explorer seems to be the main point of the message. It is a shield booster, and is the seat given different minimum weight ratings in different countries. It is responsible for many deaths and injuries for children who should’ve been in a 5-pt harness, or would’ve at least been safer in a belt-positioning booster. They were prone to ejections, had no upper body restraint, etc. Terrible product, and it’s very disturbing that it took them so long to take it off the market.
Overhead shield convertible seats are associated with issues mainly from children who don’t fit well in them. They are less adjustable, as the buckle is attached to the shield. Smaller children are also prone to hitting their faces/heads on the hard, “padded” shield, particularly infants. Those have been sold quite recently, though I’m not finding any on the market at this point. When I certified as a child passenger safety technician in 2004, we were still seeing them. (Or, worse yet, one with the overhead arm removed and only the 3-pt harness remaining!)
Still, those are two separate and not equally horrifying issues.
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
Eeek! Thank you so much for pointing out that I used the wrong picture! I had a bunch saved for a different project and put the wrong one in there.
though I thank you for this post, I am now completely overwhelmed. I have one child in a safety first, another child in a Cosco (no idea what kind either are) and I am due to have another child in a car seat by August. I do not live on a budget that permits us to purchase any of these mentioned as truly safe. I wish that there was an affordable option out there for lower income mama’s who care about their children’s safety.
Christie, well done. This is very well written and has a lot of appalling information. Good research! Thank you for this.
I have a Cosco seat for my son, a Scenera. It is actually the third one of the same seat we have bought, because we have been in two fender benders in the last year and a half, and even though my son was not riding in the car either time, the car insurance company insisted on replacing the seat, just in case it had been compromised.
We are in Canada, and the Scenera by Cosco does have a top tether, and can be installed rear or forward facing. I have had it inspected and installed by a professional car seat technician would seemed to think the seat was safe.
It is hard to know, I guess. I just keep thinking of the way we used to travel when we were kids. Anyone remember car beds? I do believe in being safe, but at a certain point it becomes kind of obsessive. I have been happy with my Cosco car seat.
Wendy,
The safest seat is one that fits your vehicle, fits your child and us installed and used properly for every car ride.
I personally have everything many different seats from many different manufactures. I do not hesitate putting my children in any seat I own (and one of those is a Cosco Scenera) due to I know it fits them, installed and being used properly.
We just do not know what car seat is the safest out there and neither does the author of this blog. The manufactures do not release the crash test data, so as far as we know, that $45.00 Cosco Scenera could blow that $300.00 Britax out of the water in crash testing. Every seat that is for sale on the market has to pass the same standards. The only manufacture that releases the data is Sunshine Kids, but it’s kinda pointless since there is no other manufactures to compare it too.
And you didn’t even get into the Alpha Omega Elite! It’s gotta be the worst sat out there with all kinds of false/misleading advertising as to how long it will last, plus the fact that it makes for an outright dangerous booster. Plus, don’t forget that Dorel seats are just horribly inconvenient – installing them tears your hands to pieces. Yeah, a Dorel seat used properly is better than no seat, but I’d much rather sell something or do without a luxury to be able to get a better seat from a more trustworthy company.
It’s obvious that you have a strong passion for Child Passenger Safety. I agree with some of the points presented here but I wanted to point out that the quote you proved from Dorel is a quote from someone in their European division. They were quoted as saying this long before the “new” AAP recommendations came out and to be honest, in a place where they forward face at 9 months, I don’t think they care much about the AAP recommendations. Just because an American professional organization recommends something does not mean the rest of the world is going to follow suit. This is unfortunate in this case because European children would benefit just as much as their counterparts in the States from rear facing much longer.
That being said, I have a Scenera for my son that we bought for travel. I would not hesitate to use it if we needed it as a backup seat. Dorel has shown their business practices to be a little shady but they are a business and they are out to make money like every other business. The fact of the matter is that we do not know which seats are the safest because none of the manufacturers (other than Sunshine Kids) allow their crash test data to be released. If any of these seats were so much safer than the others, wouldn’t that manufacturer want their data released? Every car seat company (or company that makes products for children for that matter) is going to recall products. Even Britax had to have a recall in the last year. Recalls happen. Dorel happens to have several brands under them and that makes for more recalls because they have such a large share of the market. They do a poor job of handling these recalls. Sunshine Kids is refusing to recall their faulty SuperLATCH straps.
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
Monica, you can find me on Sunshine Kids’ Facebook wall, asking with a video why they aren’t doing more about the super LATCH issue.
I agree with you, though. However, the number of recalls Dorel has, while your logic is accurate, isn’t as concerning to me as the frequency on similar products, the severity of the reason of the recall, and especially how long it takes or how or resistant they are to recalling dangerous things in the first place.
Evenflo isn’t much better, btw.
I have to say that SKJP scares me. They have “rules” that go against every other carseat maker. Like the shoulder straps can be way be way BELOW the shoulders forward facing. That bothers me. The also claim that they have a LATCH that can latch to 80 pounds when EVERY car manual I have read clearly states 48 pounds MAX! Yes they do release crash test data which is more than I can say for the other companies. but come on! I have moved my son out of his radian because of the shoulder straps being 2 inches below the shoulders. THe seats states 52 inches, he is 46 and doesnt fit. Wishing I had gone with a Britax now
I would buy a Britax, Recaro or Sunshine Kids (Diono) seats. I don’t like cheap carseats or the Scenera with no foam. Would you really want your kid being in an accident in that? But they are great for the plane.
Dorel seats just look cheap with the plastic shell they all share, whether it’s cheap or more costly. I could tell the Maestro looked pretty shabby, and THEN they came out with the recall saying it wouldn’t hold up. You could tell by looking!
At the same time, I would not buy a Britax Marathon b/c I could get a Boulevard or even better an Advocate with head support. Why put your child at risk? SOme of the new Dorel seats have HUGE head cushions, though. I truly think that is a very good thing. You said the one old Dorel seat had a hard notch and that causes brain damage. It makes sense that the really cost cushions on the Pria would be good for a kid’s head in an accident. I have mixed thoughts on Dorel. I would never buy one of their cheap seats for a car. But the Pria doesn’t look all that bad. I would be OK with it in the middle seat only. For outboard I want an Advocate or Radian seat, or Recaro. Our standards for side impact are awful. There are none. All carseats are not the same and you get what you pay for, usually.
Mom, my son HAS been in a pretty severe accident in a Scenera (with no foam and cost me $35) and survived without a scratch. The little girl in the other car wasn’t so lucky.
I have Sceneras for backup seats (husband’s truck, sister’s car, when I have my nephew). They are easily installed properly (FF or RF), cheap, and safe.
For my everyday car seats I use the Graco MyRide. They fit fine in my van, my kids have some major room to grow both height and weight wise. Technically, my 7 year old could fit in it.
So what car seats are “good”? What should we use? This wasn’t really covered as far as I could see.
You’ve scared the hell out of us, now what can we do about it?
Dorel needs to stop focusing on Licensing Agreements if they want to product “True Innovation” going forward. Licensing Agreements, for producing products in production, will NOT, seed continued growth on steady innovative products & ideas. If Dorel truly wants to lead the pack in Infant-Care, they need to strive for cutting-edge innovation ahead of intense market competition. Make your products stand out in the crowd, above & beyond current competition.
So true. They need more products that other infant companies don’t have. Too much product overlap.
So true. They need more products that other infant companies don\’t have. Too much product overlap.