Question Chico KeyFit 30 Base Installation

Unregistered · Jul 8, 2010

I may be having trouble with my Chico KF 30 base. I believe I am installing it properly but then within a few weeks it seems to come loose, meaning I can move it significantly from side to side. Is this typical and all bases need to be tightened from time to time, or am I actually installing it wrong and it never needs to be tightened?

wendytthomas · Jul 8, 2010

It shouldn't loosen.

How are you installing it (LATCH or seatbelt), in what car, and in what position?

Wendy

Unregistered · Jul 8, 2010

rear facing with a seat belt.

wendytthomas · Jul 8, 2010

Right, it's only a rear facing seat.

Is it behind one of the front seats or in the middle? Do you have a lap and shoulder belt or a lap belt only? What car is it in?

Wendy

Jennifer mom to my 7 · Jul 8, 2010

Are you using the lockoff? Locking the belt? Both?

The only thing I have heard is that sometimes the seatbelt is a little thinner than others, and that causes the belt to slip in the lockoff after a while. Let me see if I can find where I heard that.

Found this thread.

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=79512&highlight=keyfit+lockoff

BookMama · Jul 8, 2010

My (well, bensmom's

) Keyfit base does the same thing - it loosens a fair amount after a couple of weeks. I've figured that it's because I had it in the center, where it's pretty hard for me to lift in and out - it's hard for me to lift it straight up when removing the seat. I've got it outboard now, with no problems.

Oh, I also think that having it in a tight three-across contributes - it's just plain hard to get to the seatbelt through the lockoff.
:twocents:

Unregistered · Jul 9, 2010

the car seat is in the middle with the middle shoulder strap. the car is a 2008 honda accord. we got the seat originally installed a a children's hospital to make sure it was in correctly and make sure we understood the proper way to install. the instructor said not to lock the shoulder strap belt... regardless, i'm not sure i can actually lock it anyway.

i'm thinking that just loosens because the base gets kind of knocked around when the seat is put in an out but that sounds like kind of a big negative for the top-rated car seat.

joolsplus3 · Jul 10, 2010

Your shoulderbelt does lock, just pull it all the way out, slowly, and it will ratchet back and hold tight (the vehicle manual will talk about that in the car seat section. You can check the Key Fit manual to find out what they advise, unless you saw the instructor read that right out of the manual, they may not be entirely correct, all seats have different rules about locking the belts when there are lockoffs on the base).
I might just put it in an outboard (window) seat with the LATCH, as the Accord LATCHes are away from the doors by quite a few inches, and the install would be a lot easier and more solid (no matter how good the seat is, no seat is compatible with ALL seating positions, it's just not possible, and also make sure your lockoff isn't bent or damaged, that does happen from time to time and Chicco replaces the base).

Unregistered · Jul 10, 2010

Mine did that, I just used one for 9 months and had to tighten it every now and then. I used it mainly with the shoulder belt install so it could be in the center.

Question Chico KeyFit 30 Base Installation

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wendytthomas

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Jennifer mom to my 7

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