Evenflo Triumph

[mmcphee]

The Evenflo Triumph is a convertible car seat, meaning that it can be used rear facing for children 5-30 lbs and forward facing for children 20-40 lbs and for children 19-40�. Of all of the car seats I have owned this is bar far the easier to install with the car’s seat belt. A flap in the car seat pad lifts up to expose the belt route - no more trying to slip your hands through too small slots. The harness height can be adjusted from the front with the seat installed, there is no need to rethread it ever. Unfortunately this is also the Triumph’s downfall.

After a little more than 3 years of use the rigid plastic cover that hides the harness mechanism started to wear. Unfortunately the wear was actually on the shell of the seat and there wasn’t anything Evenflo could do for me other than confirm that I needed to buy a new seat. Car seats are manufactured to last 6 years and I only got a little more than half of its life out of this seat.

You can read my full review of the <a href="http://www.epinions.com/content_134183620228">Evenflo Triumph</a> at epinions.com.

[UlrikeDG]

I'd try contacting them again. IME, Evenflo is usually exceptionally good about replacing carseats. You can also report the issue to NHTSA.

[mmcphee]

I almost always have the opposite experience with Evenflo. No matter how nice I am it seems hit or miss with their customer service - more often than not it's a miss. Once the seat is out of warranty they don't seem to be interested in doing much for me. The seat only had a year left on it so we just replaced it early.

[vamom]

Our truimph has been used hard for 3.5 years, and I have atleast 4 other friends that have used theirs for 3.5 to 4 years. The only problem that I am aware of is the little plastic clips(that keep the cover down) rip aa little at the fabric, no biggie, and the grey cover has faded alittle. I know others say it is outgrown early, but at the time I bought it the only other seat around with the eps foam were Britax, and I could not find them within 4-5 hours of my house, and did not want to spend that kind of money site unseen, and with a kid on oxygen I was not big on traveling. For awhile I was feeling that I would have been happier with the marathon since it has the higher limits, but honestly most of the kids that I know can use it til 4, and they seem to have more crotch comfort/ shoulder room, but that's just my opinion. I could have rear faced him longer in a higher weight seat, but honestly, he rf longer (almost 2) then anybody that I have met (in person), and the folks that I recommended it to would never go rf longer then a year (I am working on that). I like the way that I did not have to uninstall the seat to change the strap height and the ease of strap adjustment, and the give that the double straps allow when placing a squimy kid in the seat. This seat also has two crotch positions. Anyway, I have not played with alot of Britax, maybe I would be happier with the blvd, but why can they not put crotch options like the decathalon? Anyway, I am still using the truimph in 1 car, and the regent in two others. But I do feel like I got my $100 out of the truimph. Sorry you had a bad experience. The one time I called evenflo for tech support they were less then helpful, so I know what you mean.

[mmcphee]

I loved thsi car seat until it broke. It was a fair value, but I did want more than 3 years out of it at that price. It has a lot of great features that pricier seats don't have. I've known people who have good luck with their seats while others have had it fall apart like I did. It sounds like you were one of the lucky ones!

[cbaca415]

I bought the Evenflo Triumph V less than 18 months ago. Initially I liked the seat very much and thought that it was a more economical but equally safe alternative to one of the Britax models. I was wrong.

After less than 18 months of use, I went to put my 2 year old son in his car seat a few days ago. When I turned the knob to tighten his harness, it was not "clicking" indicating that it was locking into the tighter positions. It would not lock at all. So the excess length of harness strap was completely slack and could be pulled loose very easily. It was not restraining my son at all. Thankfully we were at my in-law's house and they had a car seat I was able to use to get my son home. Had I been somewhere else, I don't know how I would have gotten my child home. I called Evenflo to report this defect. Because the car seat was relatively new, I expected them to want to inspect the car seat for the defect (while we have taken the car seat in and out of our car a few times, it has never been dropped or roughly handled and it has never been in an accident) and I also expected them to replace this obviously defective seat. They did neither. They told me there warranty was only for 90 days and since the defect occurred after that, there was nothing they could do. I am pretty angry as I did think the seat should have been replaced. But even more concerning was there absolute lack of interest regarding the very serious failure of the harness. What if the harness had failed during an accident? We purchased a car seat trusting that it would keep our child safe, and with the expectation that it would *at least* last until he reached the maximum weight/height for the seat. Instead we got a seat that failed 18 months after we purchased it in a very serious way, and the company addressed this issue by doing absolutely nothing.

I will NEVER trust my child in an Evenflo product again. Had they shown any concern about the defect I think I would have felt safe purchasing another Evenflo car seat. As it is, we have to get a new car seat and this time we will be buying a Britax Marathon.

Clair
Mom to Jonah Adrien, 6/23/04

[UlrikeDG]

Clair, such defects can and should be reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). You can File a Child-Seat Complaint or Report a Defect Online or by calling 1-888-327-4236.

[cbaca415]

Just wanted to update and say that, after filing a complaint with the BBB, Evenflo contacted me to resolve the matter. The person I spoke to was much more helpful than the original Customer Service Rep I got. She asked me to keep the seat in case they want to send for it so they can inspect it (I am supposed to call back this week and she will have a decision when i do). She also offered me any seat I wanted at 50% off, recommending the Generations. After some research we opted to get the Britax Regent for our car (we love it already). My mom, however, is going to take Evenflo up on the 50% off of the Generations for her car since she does not have a seat (DS rarely rides with her, but she wanted one just in case).

I'm glad Evenflo took things a little more seriously. However, I am now a Britax convert. Our next baby will ride in a Britax from day one.

[jamwith3bugs]

We've had our Evenflo Triumph for almost a year. It's been a wonderful seat - if you have a smaller framed child - there may be some issues and this may not be the seat for you! The seat installs rearfacing with latch SO rock-solin in our 2005 Odyssey. It also installs perfectly forward facing with LATCH (including top tether) rock solid.
The straps NEVER get tangled and it's easy to secure the child because of the loocking mechanism.

Issues you may have - If you have a tall child - they will quickly outgrow this seat - it's rather 'short'.

If you have a narrow framed child - the strap slots may be too wide to securely fit your child.

There are only 3 strap slots which makes it difficult when the child is 'between' heights - for rear facing.

I would recommend this seat for huskier, and shorter babies. Tall and skinny - not meant for this seat.

Besides having a tall and skinny child - we've had no 'technical' failures with this seat.

[doriansmummy]

I have had my son in his evenflo triumph since 2003.
He is now 4 years (Aug 3) and it is still going strong.
The few things I dont like, some PP have stated:

Hard to install in some cars.
Only 3 slots for harness makes it difficult.
My cover got worn fast and riped off the sides. Evenflo replaced for free!

All in all we have got our money worth I think.
All the other moms I know have gone through a few seats.
We had one infant seat and then he went into this.
We will be getting the Regent once he outgrows this. Or if a new seat cover comes out Im getting one right then and there.

[myliljunebugs]

I had this seat for my son after he outgrew his Alpha Omega. I knew it wouldn't be the last seat he needed, but I figured my dd could go into it and ds could go into a Regent at that point (I felt he was too small for it when he outgrew the AO). This would have been fine, he was able to ride in it until he was 4 years old and 38lb, but my dd was too narrow for it. I ended up giving the Triumph to a friend for her 2 year old who was in an expired seat and getting dd the MA and ds the Regent. I don't think I would buy this seat again as it has such a low rearfacing weight and height, but it was good while I had it!

[hjohnson6]

I have two Evenflo Triumphs and I love the seats! We have had no major wear or tear on them and one of the seats is 4 years old. My only complaint about them is it is a pain in the butt to get the cover off to wash it. You have to unscrew a panel on the back of the seat to get the cover loose.

[hapaness]

Originally Posted by hjohnson6

My only complaint about them is it is a pain in the butt to get the cover off to wash it. You have to unscrew a panel on the back of the seat to get the cover loose.

Can you put the cover in the dryer after washing it or do you have to let it air dry? How about washing the straps, is it like Graco where you can only spot clean them?

[ainsleysmom]

anyone else have issues loosening the sraps with those tellow tabs? it's almost impossible for me, esp when in RF osition as i can't really get to them! wondering if it's ust me or my seat!

[southpawboston]

Originally Posted by ainsleysmom

anyone else have issues loosening the sraps with those tellow tabs? it's almost impossible for me, esp when in RF osition as i can't really get to them! wondering if it's ust me or my seat!

do you mean the yellow tabs that unlock the harness tensioner knob? i have the same problem with my RF triumph. it's a pain. even in the FF position, those tabs can be difficult to push.

[ainsleysmom]

Originally Posted by southpawboston

do you mean the yellow tabs that unlock the harness tensioner knob? i have the same problem with my RF triumph. it's a pain. even in the FF position, those tabs can be difficult to push.

yes! what is up with that? i literally cannot push them down!

[MySweetAGL]

Originally Posted by ainsleysmom

yes! what is up with that? i literally cannot push them down!

I agree. I have the seat so tight RF that I have to lay the captain's chair back so I can loosen it. If it was a bench seat it'd be almost impossible to access.

[nursekori]

I loved our Triumph. DD was in it up until just a week ago. We have never had any problems with install or excessive wear and tear. After taking the seat out of my car to install our new Regent ( ) I did a "once over" of the seat. It looks almost *brand new*. The only thing I have to report is a little bit of "pilling" of the armrests. Other than that, it has been a great seat. I'm sorry to hear of problems with this seat.

[stayinhomewithmy4]

I also loved our Triumphs (we had 4 of them at one point in time)! The trick to the yellow harness release knobs when they get stuck is to push them down and turn the little dial (just a little) at the same time. That always worked when ours got stuck and made them release almost instantly. We never had a problem with them tightening correctly.

[DustysSweety]

We loved our Triumph only tossed it because while trying to get the cover off because when my son would spit up he ended up with wierd stains on his shirt were the straps were* never did figure the issue out*, Dh somehow broke the side foam piece and it was a pain to get the cover off. We ended up buying a Graco Comfortsport. Oh my 3yr old was moved out of the Evenflo way before 40lbs because she was too tall.

[An Aurora]

I had my 13 pound 4 month old daughter in her sister's old Triumph Premier for a short period of time. It fit her horribly--

1) The crotch buckle dug into her stomach--as I tightened the harness the top part of the buckle would tip inward and press deeper and deeper in her tummy.

2) The chest clip is wider than her chest, and the shoulder straps are too widely spaced. When she falls asleep, she slumps to one side, and the opposite shoulder slides out from under the harness . The first time this happened I just thought my DH buckled her in wrong, but it has since happened several times after I checked and double-checked the straps. They are simply too widely spaced, and no matter how tight the straps.

Because of these issues, I had to put the baby in her sister's Marathon, and my 2 yo was in the Triumph. The 2 yo outgrew the Triumph RF at 18 months, so I was forced to have her FF.

[thepote]

We had a Triumph purchased in May 2004 for my then 5 month old ds2. He used it until summer 2006 when he realised that he could pull up the cover on the sides and pick at the foam -- AND EAT IT

Called Evenflo and they sent a new 2006 seat that has more cover clips so the child can't access the foam. By then we had ds3, and since ds2 was outgrowing the Triumph by height we moved him to a Marathon. But when we tried ds3 in the Triumph, his shoulders were way too narrow (he was about 3 months old) and the harness didn't fit him well at all.

Also, we had to install it RF on the captains chair of our new van (2005 Odyssey), and the knobs were very squished into the seat to the point where it was nearly impossible to adjust the harness.

[CarSeatPoncho]

Could I respectfully request that this thread be retired or amended somewhat? The Triumph Advanced, with its higher shell height and higher RF and FF weight limits address many of the concerns mentioned here. Readers who start reading this thread would not get a fair impression of the Triumph Advanced, and might be discouraged from reading to the end of the thread. They would miss out on a great option, imho.

We love, love, loved out Triumph every single day we used it, even if he outgrew it at 3.25 yo after two years. We never had a problem with the side adjust knobs, RF or FF.

[An Aurora]

Can we just start a new thread for the new Evenflo Triumph Advance seats? The old style Triumphs will still be available for some time, and I think people would appreciate knowing the pros/cons of each seat--I wish I had read reviews like this before I bought our seats!

[UlrikeDG]

Anyone can review a new seat. Just follow the guidelines in the sticky at the top of this forum page.