short-strapped Radian replacement

[ukmum]

Hi,

Thanks to this forum, I made the educated decision to purchase a Radian car seat to keep my son in a 5-point harness for as long as possible.

I live in rural British Columbia but made the trip into the nearest "big city" that had a Canadian Tire and purchased my Radian from there. The DOM is AUGUST 2006

3 problems: (1)This seat has the short safestop that has been recalled. (2)It is a seat that does *not* have the deeper back channel. (3) it has the 48lb sticker.

I have been combing the board of previous posts. The "poll" done on "Who owns a Short-strapped Radian" seemed to indicate that some folks were receiving NEW SEATS, not just new safestops.

Can anyone please tell me if they have received a new, replacement seat from Sunshine Kids. It would be helpful for me to know what kind of customer service I might be able to expect from this company before I contact them regarding the recalled safe-stop and the narrow back channel.

Thanks very much in advance for anyone who can provide more information. It will be very much appreciated.

Meghan

[snowbird25ca]

It depends on if you have a short strapped radian or simply one of the older safe stops.

Seats with the old safe stop simply have an updated safe stop mailed to them.

The deeper harness channels were a design change in Jan 2007. Seats prior to that change are fully functional although there has been the odd case of people having difficulties tightening the harness when it's in the highest harness height and installed forward facing while using the safe stop due to the harness adjuster getting compressed between the car seat and the vehicle seat back. If it's a problem that arises, you'll need to address it, but it's not a defect or something to assume that it'll automatically be a problem.

If you happen to have a short strapped radian, then they will replace the seat after they request some additional information from you. Short strapped refers to the harness length itself - the part that goes over the child. Some seats had shorter harnesses put in, and they seem to be confined to Aug 2006 DOM although not all of the seats are affected. There's a thread here with pictures comparing the 2 lengths of harness, but I'm not sure where it is.

[Starlight]

It isn't just the Aug 06 seats - mine was 10/05, and had the same problem.

[snowbird25ca]

It isn't just the Aug 06 seats - mine was 10/05, and had the same problem.

Yeah, but the Radian wasn't here then. The only ones I've seen affected in Canada have been ones bought at CT and manufactured in August 06. ;)

[BudgieStew]

)This seat has the short safestop that has been recalled. (2)It is a seat that does *not* have the deeper back channel. (3) it has the 48lb sticker.

1/Once you register the seat by mail or online they will send a new one out to you but you could make note of it in the comments section if you do it online.

2/I own both versions and really can't say one tightens better or worse then the other because of the channal.

3/All Radian's sold at Canadian Tire will have a limit of 48 lbs.

I bought a shorted strapped one and after providing Sunshine Kids with the DOM and serial numbers and pictures of these things they sent a replacement.

I just removed the pictures from my album but I did leave two at that might help you. Someone has posted better pictures of comparisons between the short strapped and regular strapped Radian's though so its best to do a search for that as well.

They are the two at the end.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7709&l=c56e1&id=684191012

[Maggs]

I am so thankful that we have such a fantastic site to come to for advice and knowledge. I pride myself on being up-to-date on car seat safety, but one can not know everything there is to know and things change so rapidly, that it sometimes makes your head spin.

I am glad that I clicked on this thread, because I just purchased my Radian on Friday. I have been having installation issues with it and have addressed those in another thread.

I am now wondering if my Radian is the short strapped one, and includes the old Safe Stop. I will be registering my seat today on line, so hopefully the manufacturer will get back to me soon on that. I have been having difficulty tightening the straps, this seat is for my older DS. So the harness is on the second highest setting.

Sorry to hijack your thread.

ETA: I just checked and the DOM is 09/06. Is it only the 08/06 seats that are effected?

[canadianmom2three]

An easy way to tell if it is short strapped, is to place the harness in the top position, and attempt to loosen it all the way out (as if you were going to buckle in a very tall big child). If you can pull enough harness out the front of your seat so that the loose harness straps hang over the edges of the seat then the straps are ok. If you cannot pull enough harness so that there is excess harness hanging over the edges of the seat then it is likely short. When I extend the harness on my short strapped Radian all the way out, I cannot even buckle my child in the seat, that is how little strap there is. On my new seat, I can buckle in my 10 year old (not that he would ride in it of course, but there is that much strap). Hope that helps.

[ukmum]

Thank you all very much for the information. WOW this site is a real asset to parents. I really appreciate your help on this question. I don't think that my seat is short-strapped, the picture that Budgiestew suggested I view... my harness definitely extends longer than that! Thanks again!!:thanx!: