BRITAX B-SAFE 35 Complaints

The sticker containing English instructions for performing a baseless installation and demonstrating the appropriate recline for a baseless installation is absent, potentially underneath the Spanish instruction sticker. This contains important information on proper use and its absence makes proper installation for non-Spanish speaking caretakers more difficult. The car seat was inspected by a child passenger safety technician and proper baseless installation was demonstrated and could be repeated.

I WAS INSTALLING THE BASE FOR OUR BRITAX BSAFE35 CARSEAT. UPON PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE BASE TO TIGHTEN THE SEATBELT TO TIGHTLY INSTALL THE BASE, THE MECHANISM INSIDE THE RECLINE BOOT SNAPPED, CAUSING THE RECLINE BOOT TO FULLY RETRACT INSIDE THE SEAT. THE RECLINE BOOT WILL NOW NOT LOCK INTO ANY POSITION, MAKING THE BASE UNUSABLE. I HAVE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, AS THE BASE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED COMPLETELY TO SAFELY USE A BASE WITH OUR CARSEAT AGAIN.

BRITAX B SAFE 35, MADE 09/2017 SERIAL NUMBER SO8365300002373 BATCH JOB0035157 THE HARNESS STRAPS WERE OF UNEVEN LENGTH (ONE WAS OVER AN INCH LONGER). BRITAX SENT REPLACEMENT HARNESS STRAPS. WHEN TIGHTENING THE HARNESS, WE REALIZED THAT THE L SIDE HAD MORE SLACK THAN THE OTHER NO MATTER WHAT WE DID. THE HARNESS STRAP CAME OUT OF THE YOKE AND IT WAS DURING THE PHONE CALL WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT THE DIFFERENCE IN LENGTH WAS DISCOVERED.

I PLACED MY SIX MONTH OLD DAUGHTER IN HER CAR SEAT AND SECURED THE SEAT TO THE BASE INSTALLED IN MY CAR. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT OUR DESTINATION, THE SEAT WAS NOT SECURED TO THE BASE. I DID NOT USE THE SEAT AGAIN FOR TRANSPORTING MY DAUGHTER, HOWEVER, I DID TEST THE SEAT AFTERWARD AND THE DEFECT REPEATED ONCE (I HAVE VIDEO). THE SEAT ATTACHED TO THE BASE ON ONE SIDE, BUT THE OTHER SIDE WAS NOT SECURED INTO THE BASE. I TRIED INSERTING THE CAR SEAT INTO THE BASE SEVERAL MORE TIMES AND THE DEFECT DID NOT REPEAT. I INFORMED THE MANUFACTURER OF THE ISSUE AND FIRST THEY DISMISSED MY CLAIM. WHEN THEY SAW THE VIDEO, THEY SENT ME A NEW CAR SEAT. THEY HAVE REFUSED TO INSPECT THE ORIGINAL CAR SEAT TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE FOR THE DEFECT.

THIS COMPLAINT INVOLVES THE BRITAX B SAFE 35 ELITE INFANT CAR SEAT AND THE RED RELEASE BUTTON FOUND ON TOP OF THE SEAT WHERE AN INFANT'S FEET/LEGS REST. MY DAUGHTER JUST TURNED 1 A FEW WEEKS AGO AND IS ABLE TO RELEASE THE STRAPS IN THIS CAR SEAT HERSELF. SHE RESTS HER FEET ON THE RED BUTTON AND WITH THE ROAD MOVEMENT OF THE CAR AND HER WIGGLING AROUND, SHE IS ABLE TO LOOSEN THE SEAT ENOUGH TO GET HER ARM OUT OF THE STRAP. IT DOES NOT TAKE MUCH FORCE WHATSOEVER TO PUSH DOWN ON THE BUTTON TO CAUSE THE STRAPS TO LOOSEN. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME SHE HAS LOOSENED HERSELF FROM THIS SEAT. THE BUTTON IS FULLY EXPOSED WITH NO COVERING IN AN AREA THAT CHILDREN REST THEIR FEET. AFTER VISITING SEVERAL CAR SEAT RETAILERS, I NOTED THAT BRITAX B SAFE INFANT SEAT WAS THE ONLY CAR SEAT THAT DID NOT HAVE A COVERING OVER THE RELEASE BUTTON. I HAVE PHOTOS OF THOSE CAR SEATS IF NEEDED. EVEN BRITAX'S OWN CONVERTIBLE SEATS AT LEAST HAVE A LIP OVER THE BUTTON TO PREVENT CHILDREN FROM RELEASING IT. EVERY SINGLE CAR SEAT I CAME ACROSS EITHER HAD THE RELEASE BUTTON UNDER THE PADDING, HAD A PLASTIC LIP THAT EXTENDED OVER THE BUTTON, OR WAS POSITIONED IN A WAY THAT A CHILD COULD NOT RELEASE IT (MUCH LESS AN INFANT). THIS CLEARLY SEEMS TO BE A DESIGN AND SAFETY FEATURE THAT WAS OVERLOOKED BY BRITAX. BRITAX CUSTOMER SERVICE TOLD ME MY DAUGHTER WAS TOO TALL FOR THE SEAT YET SHE FALLS UNDER THE HEIGHT AND WEIGHT REQUIREMENTS OF 32 INCHES AND/OR 35 LBS. THIS IS MY 4TH BRITAX CAR SEAT PURCHASE AND I HAVE BEEN IMPRESSED WITH THEIR BRAND UP UNTIL NOW. THE 3 OTHER SEATS I OWN ALL HAVE THE RELEASE BUTTON UNDER THE SEAT PADDING WHERE AN INFANT/CHILD CANNOT EASILY GET TO IT. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING TO KNOW THAT MY DAUGHTER WAS NOT SAFE IN HER CAR SEAT AS I WAS DRIVING AROUND. WE HAVE SINCE DISCONTINUED USING THIS SEAT.

I OWN A BRITAX B-SAFE 35 CAR SEAT AND HAVE HAD IT LESS THAN 2 YEARS. UP UNTIL NOW, I HAVE HAD NO ISSUES WITH IT. I HAVE A 22 MONTH OLD THAT RIDES REAR-FACING IN THE CAR SEAT DAILY. AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WITH HER DURING RUSH HOUR YESTERDAY, I NOTICED THAT SHE WAS ALMOST HALFWAY OUT OF THAT CAR SEAT. I PULLED OVER TO FIND THAT SHE HAD UNDONE THE CHEST CLIP OF THE CAR SEAT AND WAS STRUGGLING TO GET FREE. I KEEP THE CHEST CLIP AT ARMPIT LEVEL AND TIGHT PER MANUFACTURES RECCOMENDATIONS. I REBUCKLED HER GOT BACK IN THE CAR AND DROVE HOME. ONCE HOME, I RECORDED HER UNBUCKLING THE CHEST CLIP WITH ONE HAND. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED BRITAX CUSTOMER SERVICE, BUT IT WAS AFTER HOURS. I FOUND BRITAX ON FACEBOOK AND POSTED MY COMPLAINT AND THEY SENSELESSLY REPLIED BY SAYING THE CHEST CLIP IS MORE OF A POSITIONING DEVICE FOR THE SHOULDER STRAPS INSTEAD OF A SAFETY FEATURE. THEN THEY PROCEEDED TO INFORM ME THAT IF I SIMPLY BUCKED A SHIRT OVER THE CHEST CLIP, THAT THIS MAY DETER MY DAUGHTER FROM MANIPULATING THE HARNESS. I WAS THEN TOLD TO MESSAGE BRITAX WITH MY INFORMATION AND THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPERVISOR WILL CONTACT ME. I ATTEMPTED MESSAGING, ONLY TO FIND THE FUNCTION UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A BRITAX B-SAFE 35 REARFACING INFANT SEAT, MODEL NUMBER: E9BE53C. THE SEAT WAS MANUFACTURED ON JULY 12, 2013. THE SAFETY SEAT WAS BEING UTILIZED IN A 2004 KIA SORENTO. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO BUCKLE THE CHILD INTO THE SEAT, BOTH OF THE CROTCH BUCKLE LATCHES SEPARATED FROM THE HARNESS, CAUSING THE SEAT TO BECOME UNUSABLE. THE SEAT WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. ..UPDATED 07/12/17 *BF....UPDATED 07/13/17 *BF *CN *JS

ON JUNE 7, 2017, WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AN OLDER CHILD IN THE BACK SEAT STATED THAT INFANTS CHEST CLIP HAD COME UNLATCHED. DRIVER PULLED OVER TO CORRECT PROBLEM BUT FOUND THAT CHEST CLIP ON BRITAX B SAFE 35 HAD CRACKED AND WAS NO LONGER USABLE. BRITAX WAS EMAILED BY DRIVER IMMEDIATELY AND TO DATE NO RESPONSE HAS BEEN RECEIVED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A BRITAX B-SAFE 35 REARFACING INFANT SEAT, MODEL NUMBER: S03803400. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SHOULDER STRAP CHEST CLIP CAME APART WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH. THE CHILD WAS IN THE SAFETY SEAT AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND NOTICED THAT THE SHOULDER STRAP CHEST CLIP WAS CRACKED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHERE SHE WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, AND THAT THE CHEST CLIP WAS THERE TO HOLD THE SHOULDER STRAP INTO PLACE. THE SAFETY SEAT STRAP CHEST CLIP WAS NOT REPLACED. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN.

CPSC-I16C0026A: ISSUE CONCERNS THE BRITAX B-SAFE ELITE INFANT CAR SEAT AND BASE. THERE ARE TWO STRAPS W/LATCHES THAT CONNECT THE CAR SEAT BASE TO THE FRAME OF THE AUTOMOBILE. BF THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE HAND TIGHTENING ONE OF THE STRAPS, THE STRAP BROKE FREE OF THE CLOSED BASE HOUSING.