Splash
New member
I think Britax made a big big mistake on this one. Like, recall worthy mistake.
They have a new type of tether in the BV. It's stitched together in spots that are designed to rip in a crash. When those spots rip, the tether releases just a tiny bit. It says in the manual that these are designed to let you know when to replace a seat.
It says that if the label is intact and the red stitching is visible, that a seat does NOT need to be replaced. If the stitching is torn or the label is broken, the seat DOES need to be replaced.
But, that's on the TETHER.
So basically someone can be in a horrific crash with a RF or untethered FF seat, and the stitching on the tether obviously won't break. So the manual says it's okay to reuse, because the stitching isn't broken.
Exact wording:
The tether has been designed to indicate with the child restraint has been in a severe crash and replacement of the child restraint is necessary.
Figure A shows the tether when the child restraint is acceptable for continued use. The colored sticthing will be intact and the webbing will be held under a tether label.
Figure B shows the tether when the child restraint is unacceptable for continued use. The colored stitching will be broken and the loops will have pulled through the back side of the shell. The tether label may also be torn. If this condition occurs, discontinue use of the child restraint and contact Britax customer service for further instruction.
You can also see it on page 14 here, of the new Boulevard user manual.
http://www.britaxusa.net/support/documents/P276100_R1_Blvd.pdf
So someone is going to be in a bad wreck, and keep reusing this seat, because the manual tells them it is okay to reuse as long as the tether isn't ripped. Nice.
To me, that seems like a SERIOUS case of bad bad information. I can think of lots of very severe crashes where the tether won't rip.
I really do not like the new Boulevards. I almost want to sell them both. I wish Britax would just repair mine instead of replacing them with these.
Anyone know where I can get a box big enough to ship a Boulevard in? They told me I could ship the old ones back in whatever box I wanted to, and keep the BV box. Well if I am going to sell the things, I want the original box.
This makes me sad. I love our Boulevards. I do not love these new Boulevard imposters.
They have a new type of tether in the BV. It's stitched together in spots that are designed to rip in a crash. When those spots rip, the tether releases just a tiny bit. It says in the manual that these are designed to let you know when to replace a seat.
It says that if the label is intact and the red stitching is visible, that a seat does NOT need to be replaced. If the stitching is torn or the label is broken, the seat DOES need to be replaced.
But, that's on the TETHER.
So basically someone can be in a horrific crash with a RF or untethered FF seat, and the stitching on the tether obviously won't break. So the manual says it's okay to reuse, because the stitching isn't broken.
Exact wording:
The tether has been designed to indicate with the child restraint has been in a severe crash and replacement of the child restraint is necessary.
Figure A shows the tether when the child restraint is acceptable for continued use. The colored sticthing will be intact and the webbing will be held under a tether label.
Figure B shows the tether when the child restraint is unacceptable for continued use. The colored stitching will be broken and the loops will have pulled through the back side of the shell. The tether label may also be torn. If this condition occurs, discontinue use of the child restraint and contact Britax customer service for further instruction.
You can also see it on page 14 here, of the new Boulevard user manual.
http://www.britaxusa.net/support/documents/P276100_R1_Blvd.pdf
So someone is going to be in a bad wreck, and keep reusing this seat, because the manual tells them it is okay to reuse as long as the tether isn't ripped. Nice.
To me, that seems like a SERIOUS case of bad bad information. I can think of lots of very severe crashes where the tether won't rip.
I really do not like the new Boulevards. I almost want to sell them both. I wish Britax would just repair mine instead of replacing them with these.
Anyone know where I can get a box big enough to ship a Boulevard in? They told me I could ship the old ones back in whatever box I wanted to, and keep the BV box. Well if I am going to sell the things, I want the original box.
This makes me sad. I love our Boulevards. I do not love these new Boulevard imposters.