Is this car seat too damaged to use?

HappyCarseatTech · Mar 8, 2007

One of my daycare kids (age 1) flew with her Mom this weekend and had to gatecheck the car seat for the last flight. As they landed in our town of 150,000, the airline said that even gate checked items would be coming through baggage claim, so to pick them up there. So Mom goes to get the stuff and the car seat came through on the side, with the top part AND the bottom part of the cover pulled up/off, and all the EPS foam cracked/breaking off. It is a late 2005 Comfortsport. They are hoping the airline will re-imburse them for it, but if they don't, and the family buys new EPS foam, could the use it in their second car (rarely used - like once every 2 weeks for 2.5 miles).
It was the first trip they used the seat for - she still fits in her Graco Snugride (at 15 months!). So even though it's not anyone's favorite seat, it's still a bummer it got a bit wrecked.

Kellyr2 · Mar 8, 2007

I wouldn't risk it.

nurse_reedle · Mar 8, 2007

The foam in our ComfortSport cracked on the side near the head area. We contacted Graco about it, and they sent us a replacement foam free of charge! The new one was a little different than the old one because it did not wrap around the front of the shell as much (This is why it cracked in the first place, from putting our son in and out, rubbing against the foam).

broken4u05 · Mar 8, 2007

I have the same problems with ours. They haven't broken yet but every time i put them in the seats it feels like they will. The foam is really far over the shell. But now i have a BV and tonight i am getting a MA so i do not have to worry about it any more

skaterbabs · Mar 8, 2007

Nope, the seat should be replaced. That's the same as a minor crash and I would not risk it.

jn__ · Mar 8, 2007

I once sat in a plane watching airline workers throw strollers and car seats out of the plane right to the ground where another worker was throwing it onto a cart. So no, I would never check a car seat and I would never use one like you describe. (And I'd never check a stroller I cared about, but that is neither here nor there LOL)

nurse_reedle · Mar 8, 2007

So, even if you owned the seat from day one, and the foam is what is broken, and you get a replacement foam from the manufacturer with replacement mushroom clips to hold it in, you would still buy a new seat? Even with a DOM of 2005?

scatterbunny · Mar 8, 2007

It is possible for the carseat to sustain unseen damage, especially the way they are handled by airline staff. There's no way to know for sure if the foam is truly the only part damaged.

If the situation were different and the parent KNEW what treatment the seat was subjected to at all times and knew that the foam was, indeed, the only part damaged, it would be different and I'd just order new foam.

One more reason to ALWAYS buy a seat for a child on a plane so they can use their seat.

skaterbabs · Mar 8, 2007

If you were in a crash, would you consider using a seat with "just" broken foam? Of course not! The same applies here.

Stresch · Mar 8, 2007

Wow. That makes me glad we have a replacement for the seat we checked when we flew out west.

Is this car seat too damaged to use?

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