GN nautilus buckle getting sticky?

[bobandjess99]

ugh. So..DD has been complaining she can't undo her GN buckle, which she has been able to do for a year. So, I have been doing it, and indeed, it has seemed more difficult....well, I was just out tehre playing with it, and I think there might actually be somethign *wrong* with it..it sticks..it is definitely no longer as easy as it was...even I, wigth normal adult sterngth, have to press down HARD with 2 fingers and really PULL to get it to unlatch, while also pulling up on the male part of the buckle...
Has anyone else noticed this? Could it be a defect? Could it be something she did to it? (spilled juice or pop is a definite possibility)...if ti is sticky due to something liek juice in it, can it be fixed? You aren't supposed to clean buckles or wet them or anything, right?
Ideas?

[MustangMama]

Uhhh....call Graco?

The worse thing they are gonna do is make you pay for a new one. This would make me feel uncomfortable using it not knowing whether it was locked or not! :eek:

Even if she spilled juice in it, I would be weary of washing it out with water...:o

Good luck :thumbsup:

[chickabiddy]

I don't have my manual handy, but unless it's specifically contraindicated, yes, you can run hot water through the buckle to clean it.

[orangemnms]

My kids do.not.eat in the car, ever, and we had this problem recently, where no amount of pulling and re buckling and cursing got the left side to unclick. I swear it was possessed, I couldn't do it, and neither could my 7 year old son. Finally after about 10 times of that happening, I called Graco, and they offered to send me a new harness/buckle without further questions, although they were out of stock for 3 weeks. :rolleyes:

Luckily, we have more than enough seats to just take that one out of rotation and replace it with a different one, LOL, until the new buckle arrives. :whistle:

[bobandjess99]

My kids do.not.eat in the car, ever, and we had this problem recently, where no amount of pulling and re buckling and cursing got the left side to unclick. I swear it was possessed, I couldn't do it, and neither could my 7 year old son. Finally after about 10 times of that happening, I called Graco, and they offered to send me a new harness/buckle without further questions, although they were out of stock for 3 weeks. :rolleyes:

Luckily, we have more than enough seats to just take that one out of rotation and replace it with a different one, LOL, until the new buckle arrives. :whistle:

thanks. I will play with it some more tomorrow ehen it is light out and see what is up, and if it still sticks, I will try contacting Gaco during business hours. Unfortunately, I do NOT have another seat for dd..I suppose I could just use the GN in booster mode if I absolutely have to, scary as that is. :eek:


(BTW..never? Seriously? do you just not use the car much? We spend probably a minimum of 2+ hours per day in the car, between taking dd to school, me going to work, dh going to work, drop-offs, pick up from school ( across town), going to school activities, getting my stepsons from their moms house 2 towns over, shopping trips, errands, etc....there would be no way for my kids to not eat in the car without starving to death...)

[orangemnms]

Heh. Nope, never. They get their Klean Kanteens filled with water and thats it. We homeschool, and log over 300 miles a week between park days and lessons and and and but absolutely no food in my car. Don't worry, it is still trashed with all the other normal kid stuff, but no crumbs. :rolleyes:

Wanna know why? I was one of the first of my group of friends to drive in high school. One day, someone, unbeknownst to me, forgot the uneaten portion of their deli sandwich underneath the front passenger seat. It took me several months to figure out was the smell was, and when I did figure it out, I literally wretched while removing it. Barf.

[April]

I was wondering if a thread like this was ever going to pop up....

When I bought my GN in December, we used it twice, and then I loaned it to a friend. She said that the crotch buckle kept getting stuck, particularly on the left side, and her DS kept freaking out because he thought he wouldn't be able to get out. I mentioned it to my DH, who said he had the same thing happen the two times we used it with Griffin.

So I bought another one, and got my friend to bring the original one back to me. Well, I tried and tried about ten times and the buckle released just fine for me. She tried again and it kept getting stuck. We figured out that it must've been the way she was pushing the button. You have to push it right in the centre and the harness would literally "pop" right out without having to pull. I ended up giving her the new one anyways, and we kept the original one. Neither of us has had a problem since. :shrug-shoulders:

[NOAHSMOM]

When he first got the GN's my son could buckle and unbuckle with ease. Now days it is a struggle for him to unbuckle both of them and he gets fustrated. I can reach back and unbuckle them easily though.

[firemomof3]

Same problem here, my GN buckle was getting so horrible AND the harness was fraying...again! So, got a new harness and then sold the GN

[orangemnms]

:mad: It happened to my DD today for the first time in a completely different Nauti than the other I was having problems with! grr.

[zactayaus]

This has happened to me before too. I have been contemplating on calling Graco about it, but I can usually get it undone if I just click the right side back in and then try again. I think it may have something to do with pressing down on the middle of the buckle like one of the PP's said, because if you get it right the buckles really do just pop right out.

[Kat_Momof3]

weird question... has she had NERDS in the car (the candy)??

seriously... because I had no CLUE Ruthie had any on her person (she had the box in her pocket and only God and her know how she got it out, but she showed me where she'd gotten it when I was maniacally trying to free her from her seat when I was THIS close to slashing the buckles (I just didn't want to have to take her home using it as a booster... and seeing the nerds, I guessed they were the culprit)

Sure enough... push hard enough... CRUNCH... the unmistakeable sound of Nerds when they crush.

it took two full weeks for all of them to get crushed up and for them to rinse out properly (they had to crush to be able to fit to come out).... and it was stiff during that time... once it was all gone, it was great.

But I will now FRISK my daughter (and her brothers are simply interrogated as they have been told (and seen the maniacal face lecturing them on this new rule and on why it is)) on any time she comes toward my car with candy that I haven't made sure is Nerds-free.

I've actually gone toe-to-toe over Jeffrey about NOT getting nerds at the movies, because I KNOW that the kids will not finish them there and there is no way in all that is possible that one single solitary round pebble of that candy is going near my car until they are in boosters... and even then... they'll be in my purse till we get home.

(It was after halloween... he was on a kick of liking them)

So... after that long vent... rinse out the buckle and see if that helps

[erinmi]

I've had this happen several times on DD's GN. We have always been able to get it to work in the end but sometimes I want to scream in frustration!!

[Chameleon]

I've been having this problem lately with DS's Nautilus. It's driving me crazy!!!

[MySillyKids]

OMG OMG OMG
:o:o:o

I've been blaming DS for being LAZY. :crying:

I just thought he wanted ME to do it for him, after saying he couldn't do it.

:crying:

hmm interesting. Ours is stuck TOO!!

[Brendan's Mom]

I thought DS was "teasing" me when he said he couldn't get it undone. He has been trying to play jokes on me lately. Off to call Graco!

[groovymom2000]

Well, the things you find when you wander upstairs for a change. I just installed our GN last week, and several times the left side has become stuck. I thought it was just DS saying "I can't" until I tried it myself. It's a new seat, and there has been no food eaten in it yet, and we only drink water. It doesn't happen every time, but enough to frustrate the both of us. I may call Graco tomorrow as well.

[Kat_Momof3]

for the new seats... maybe just a batch of bad buckles?

[bobandjess99]

for the new seats... maybe just a batch of bad buckles?

possibly..but my seat is over a year old, it was an early one....and no, no nerds, LOL!!! DD has onlt had nerds once in her whole life, and that was a year ago....

[TnT's Mom]

I thought it was just me! I have some off and on joint issues and thought I was just having trouble unbuckling ds's Nautilus in my car but now I see that I am not the only one. It has become so difficult to get it unlatched! It is so hard to get the button pushed down to release the buckles. I am not sure about the one in Dh's truck, I think it is ok but he doesn't ride in that one very much. I was going to try cleaning it off but it doesn't feel or look like there is anything on the metal. I think maybe I will call and get a new buckle because it is seriously making me crazy. It is DOM 8/08 and the other one is (9/08).

[Mommyloves2stroll]

We've been having the same problem, we bought our GN in September and it started sticking in November or so. It's only the left side and it's a pain in the rear or finger nail as we've found out far too many times. :whistle:

Guess I'll be calling Graco tomorrow.

[MySillyKids]

anyone get a resolution from this?

We have a 11/11 (one of the first batches) DOM and uh, i'll call them tomorrow, but i wanna know what everyone else is being told lol.

[bobandjess99]

I'm a slacker who hasn't called yet, lol.....

[TnT's Mom]

Slacker, here too :o. I am going to write it down on my "to do" list for tomorrow!

[LuckyFins3Lil'Fish]

Mine sticks too. I took my seat apart & read the manual & buckle. It says you can run it under water if it gets sticky. When I did that problem solved. But, it's started to stick again. I'll try washing it again but maybe I should give graco a call too.

[MySillyKids]

i guess they'll be getting tons of calls about it tomorrow :whistle:

[Chameleon]

Called Graco, and they are sending me a whole new harness system. However, they don't have any in right now but expect them by the end of the week.

[erinmi]

I got an e-mail reply from them today saying they would be sending us a replacement buckle. I'm not sure if we are getting the whole harness assembly or not....

[groovymom2000]

I just emailed them today after a battle getting ds out of the seat today reminded me. I'll post back with the response when I get it.

[TnT's Mom]

I also emailed them tonight since another day went by and I didn't get a chance to call them. I'll let you know what I hear back from them.

[TnT's Mom]

I received a reply to my email saying that they have ordered me a replacement buckle for my seat. Yeah! Hopefully that will mean no more sticking.

However, I also asked about the differences in manuals about using LATCH when the Nautilus is in booster mode. I explained how my manual is a 2/08 manual but still says do not use LATCH in booster mode but that others had manuals that said it was ok to do so. The reply I got in response to this was...

"The carseat can be used with the latch system up to 48Lbs."

What does that mean? Do you think they completely misunderstood my question?

This is what I wrote in my email:
Also, though my Nautilus manual is dated 2/08 it does not contain the
information about the Nautilus being able to be LATCHed in booster
mode...in fact my manual says not to use LATCH in booster mode but
others have manuals that say it is ok. I purposely bought 2 of the
Nautilus seats believing that it could be LATCHed in booster mode. I am
looking to clarify that it is indeed acceptable to do so.
Thank you!

I know that you can only use LATCH when in 5pt harness mode until the child weighs 48 pounds but I don't get why they would use this response for using the seat in booster mode...in that case the LATCH is holding the seat from tipping but the seatbelt is holding the child and the seat. I am now more confused than ever about using the LATCH when I have to convert the seat to booster mode.

[groovymom2000]

Got my reply today as well...they are sending me a replacement buckle with their apologies. Good thin, as it has really become a PITB lately.

[MySillyKids]

I got my bottom seat, and harness today!!

it doesn't say anything about sending my old one back. Must not want it!

yay!

its naked, just plastic. Odd. LOL

woooo hoo!

I can't wait to play with it tonight! :D

[momof3boys541]

My son is having this problem with his Nautilus also. I called Graco and they are sending out a new buckle, hopefully it will not stick also.:rolleyes:

[MommyBoha]

We are having the same problems! Guess I'll be calling Graco Mon.

[bobandjess99]

so,my lazy butt will be calling monday, since DD got STUCK in her seat for like 5 minutes yesterday..I went back ther and the right buckle had released, but the left side WOULD NOT RELEASE I was pushing and pulling with all my might, and the lever was completely depressed, but it wouldn't unlatch...gggrrrrr

[Kat_Momof3]

I got my bottom seat, and harness today!!

it doesn't say anything about sending my old one back. Must not want it!

yay!

its naked, just plastic. Odd. LOL

woooo hoo!

I can't wait to play with it tonight! :D

order an extra cover for the base and you'll have a spare backless booster :whistle:

[MySillyKids]

order an extra cover for the base and you'll have a spare backless booster :whistle:

yea, for my almost 5 year, 40lb kid??

lol

[itzmeigh]

Jacob spilled something in his Radian the other day and it got all over his buckle. (I think it was Icee if I remember right.) Since I knew that it was something sticky I rinsed out the buckle really good. But I noticed that over a few days it was still a little sticky. It ended up that I had to wipe off the buckle tongues too. It took me a few times of wiping the tongues before it stopped sticking.

So be sure you wipe the tongues if you rinse the buckle. And it might take a few wipes before everything is back to not sticking. (actually I think the more I think about it, I think it was melted ice cream and not Icee... neither are car seat buckle friends.)

I might would still have Graco send a new buckle. But if the tongues have anything sticky on them then they are just going to stick in the new buckle too.



I received a reply to my email saying that they have ordered me a replacement buckle for my seat. Yeah! Hopefully that will mean no more sticking.

However, I also asked about the differences in manuals about using LATCH when the Nautilus is in booster mode. I explained how my manual is a 2/08 manual but still says do not use LATCH in booster mode but that others had manuals that said it was ok to do so. The reply I got in response to this was...

"The carseat can be used with the latch system up to 48Lbs."

What does that mean? Do you think they completely misunderstood my question?

This is what I wrote in my email:
Also, though my Nautilus manual is dated 2/08 it does not contain the
information about the Nautilus being able to be LATCHed in booster
mode...in fact my manual says not to use LATCH in booster mode but
others have manuals that say it is ok. I purposely bought 2 of the
Nautilus seats believing that it could be LATCHed in booster mode. I am
looking to clarify that it is indeed acceptable to do so.
Thank you!

I know that you can only use LATCH when in 5pt harness mode until the child weighs 48 pounds but I don't get why they would use this response for using the seat in booster mode...in that case the LATCH is holding the seat from tipping but the seatbelt is holding the child and the seat. I am now more confused than ever about using the LATCH when I have to convert the seat to booster mode.

They might not have understood you. But (and I could be wrong) I personally think you worded the question wrong and that they answered your question as it was worded. (and I haven't actually read the manuals for the Nautilus so if I'm wrong them sorry.)

You asked when you can use LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren.) And they answered that you can only use LATCH until 48 pounds.

When in booster mode the seat only uses the Lower Anchors. Not the Tether. So I'd try the question again asking about the Lower Anchors and not LATCH. But I could be wrong about just using the lower anchors.

[TnT's Mom]

Jacob spilled something in his Radian the other day and it got all over his buckle. (I think it was Icee if I remember right.) Since I knew that it was something sticky I rinsed out the buckle really good. But I noticed that over a few days it was still a little sticky. It ended up that I had to wipe off the buckle tongues too. It took me a few times of wiping the tongues before it stopped sticking.

So be sure you wipe the tongues if you rinse the buckle. And it might take a few wipes before everything is back to not sticking. (actually I think the more I think about it, I think it was melted ice cream and not Icee... neither are car seat buckle friends.)

I might would still have Graco send a new buckle. But if the tongues have anything sticky on them then they are just going to stick in the new buckle too.





They might not have understood you. But (and I could be wrong) I personally think you worded the question wrong and that they answered your question as it was worded. (and I haven't actually read the manuals for the Nautilus so if I'm wrong them sorry.)

You asked when you can use LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren.) And they answered that you can only use LATCH until 48 pounds.

When in booster mode the seat only uses the Lower Anchors. Not the Tether. So I'd try the question again asking about the Lower Anchors and not LATCH. But I could be wrong about just using the lower anchors.

I was wondering about that as a misunderstanding since I wasn't sure how to word my question about using the seat in booster mode. I have since received an updated manual (from another board member here...Thanks Kat!) and this is what it says about using the seat in booster mode...

14.0 Securing Child & Booster Seat in Vehicle

Ì
Ë
1. Place booster seat firmly against the back of a forward-facing vehicle
seat. The vehicle seat must be equipped with a lap/shoulder belt.
LATCH should be used to secure the booster seat to the vehicle
seat. See instructions for installing your booster seat with LATCH,
page 31. If LATCH is not available in a vehicle seating position
when driving with an unoccupied booster seat, you must always
secure the booster seat with the vehicle lap/shoulder belt.

For further clarification, does anyone know...does this mean just using the lower anchors or can I use the tether strap as well to hold the seat in? Essentially, using these anchor points is just to keep the seat from tipping and not having to remember to buckle the seat in when it is not in use, correct? The weight limit on LATCH doesn't come in to play in booster mode because the seatbelt is holding the child so their weight is not an issue. I don't even know if that question makes sense! Sorry!

[itzmeigh]

Nope. Then I'd say it's the whole system. Hum. Like I said I haven't actually read the manual for the Nautilus.

[Brendan's Mom]

bumping to see if anyone else is having problems....how widespread is the situation?

[seattlemom]

My 5 year old has been having this problem with one side of his GN. One time about 6 months ago it took about 10 minutes of me trying and him crying before I could finally open it. There was another time that my mom had to loosen it and lift him out because she couldn't get him out. All the other times, I have been able to open the other side easily without much trouble. He is still able to open it himself most of the time.

[Chameleon]

I'm a little irritated. I put the new harness and buckle on the GN yesterday, wouldn't you know it that tonight (after a few uses) the left side stuck again! I had a feeling that would happen since it is the same buckle and harness. Guess I'm going to call them again and see what they say.

[Brendan's Mom]

My new harness should be coming today. I hope I don't have the same problem too!

[zactayaus]

Since the GN has the same buckle as the SS1 I'm wondering if anyone is having this problem with their SS1 buckle?

[TerisBoys]

Well phooey - mine's sticking now too.

I'll wash it this weekend when Ryan's at his dad's.

For someone with limited hand strength this is not-good. It takes using both hands to pull down hard to get it open now.

[MySillyKids]

Since the GN has the same buckle as the SS1 I'm wondering if anyone is having this problem with their SS1 buckle?

Nope, i never had a sticking issue!

[Brendan's Mom]

I have an SS1 and haven't had a problem.

[snowbird25ca]

Since the GN has the same buckle as the SS1 I'm wondering if anyone is having this problem with their SS1 buckle?

Once with the SR32 when I pushed more on one side of the button than the other and didn't push down evenly.

eta: Those of you having this problem should report it to NHTSA (if in the US,) and if you're in Canada and having this problem report it to TC.
Buckles have regulations in regards to how much force can be required to release it pre-crash and post-crash. If it's taking an inordinate amount of force than it's something that needs to be tested and looked at because it may not be meeting standards in that regard.

[Chameleon]

Thanks Trudy, I didn't even think to report it. Now that it's happening again with the NEW harness/buckle I'm very irritated.

[MySillyKids]

I was sent the seat bottom and a harness, and i recieved another harness today. Odd.

I haven't switched out the seat yet, no time, but i'll do it this weekend, and i'll report back.

I'll contact NHTSA too, and offer to send my 'sticky' buckle, since graco never asked for it back.

[snowbird25ca]

I'm bumping this up because I'm curious if those of you having problems had loosened the harness before trying to unbuckle.

I almost always loosen the harness of my seat every time, but when I tried dd in the Nautilus in the house today I went to take her out without loosening it. The buckle kind of caught, so I re-buckled it, loosened the harness, and it opened easily.

Just curious what those of you with the sticking problem typically do in terms of loosening/tightening each time.

[joolsplus3]

Just wanted to add that a parent had a hard time getting the seat unbuckled today... it was the *barely* used floor model Mariposa that's been on the shelf for maybe 4 months? I almost felt bad selling it to her (and the harness was loose, though Trudy might be on to something with that tip for people who don't regularly loosen prior to unbuckling :thumbsup:)

[MySillyKids]

I don't loosen. DS1 gets himself out, i don't want him having more 'space' as he calls it.

[Kat_Momof3]

I haven't been having the probs others specify, but just thought I'd add that I don't always loosen it first... it depends on if I have the time or if I care to.

So many times, if it is just Ruthie and I, I'll just reach back, unbuckle her, and let her out through the door behind me, instead of walking around to the other side to let her out.

[MySillyKids]

So, ours is still sticking. I'm on my 3rd set of harnesses for the Nautilus. I'm going to call Graco again this morning, but i need the #'s off the seat first.