Warranty vs Expiry Date

selinajean

New member

• Jul 27, 2010

• #1

What is the general understanding on how long a car seat should last, with the first owner, under normal use? Should it only last through to the end of the warranty and then you would expect things to fall apart? My personal expectation is that a seat which expires in 6 years should be good for 6 years of use.

The reason that I ask is that I have come across someone whose Evenflo infant seat is "broken". It stopped releasing from the base without really violent tugging and now the UAS is not functioning. Evenflo is saying that they won't do anything as the seat is outside of the warranty period. (I don't know what that period is. I would expect a year or two?) This to me says that they are providing a seat that is good for the length of warranty, not until the expiry date.

 

L

LittlePeanut

New member

• Jul 27, 2010

• #2

Personally, I expect it to function until it's expiry. If something goes wrong that is a wear and tear issue outside the "warranty" period, I guess I'd be paying out of pocket for the fix. If it's a safety issue, I'd expect them to fix it regardless as long as it is within the expiry.

I guess I see it like a car... After so much time or milage, it is beyond the manufacturer's warranty and if things need repairing, I am responsible (like excessive wear on the fabric) but if it's a safety issue then I'd expect the manufacturer to fix it, period.

I'm gathering the issues this seat has are not "safety issues" per se but loss of convenience items. The seat can still be safely used without the base and installing using a seatbelt so it's not a safety issue, yk? Still, I'd be pissed. Have they offered any explanation as to why it happened or how it might be repaired? Remember, the squeaky wheel and alla that

 

selinajean

New member

• Jul 27, 2010

• #3

I will have to check with her.....I was under the impression that this seat could not be used without the base.

 

L

LittlePeanut

New member

• Jul 27, 2010

• #4

selinajean said:

I will have to check with her.....I was under the impression that this seat could not be used without the base.

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All well, if that's the case, I'd be fighting until they fixed or replaced it at no additional cost to me.

 

H

hipmaman

Moderator - CPST Instructor

• Jul 28, 2010

• #5

Is there an Evenflo carseat that cannot be used without the base? I don't think there is but I am not up to date with recent Evenflo seats, especially infant carriers.

However, the UAS is not not working? How is it not working? Is the clip no longer open/close properly? Or it can no longer release or tighten?

Knowing more about what and how things no longer work might really help with building the case to 'fight' Evenflo.

 

M

Maedze

New member

• Jul 28, 2010

• #6

Yes, there is an Evenflo infant seat that can be used only with the base, but I can't remember which model at the moment.

 

canadiangie

New member

• Jul 28, 2010

• #7

Maedze said:

Yes, there is an Evenflo infant seat that can be used only with the base, but I can't remember which model at the moment.

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The Embrace, a few years ago (like 4ish?), req'd the base.

 

mommycat

Well-known member

• Jul 29, 2010

• #8

I'm pretty sure that Evenflo warranty is only 90 days. So it would be ridiculous to expect the seat to only function for that long! For issues like that, I would be contactig them and demanding they do something. Follow up.

 

B

babygund

New member

• Jul 29, 2010

• #9

I too have had a problem with an evenflo seat in which the shell has bent in from the LATCH straps resting on it over time. It is 3 years old but only has been used 2.5 years. Evenflo says it is safe but they will give me 20% off a new seat ordered from them (so can't take advantage of any sale prices either).

I too was expecting that with normal use a seat should last until the expiration date. I would not have needed another harnessed seat since this one was still good and I could simply buy a dedicted booster down the road when my youngest outgrew it. I had also just sold 4 seats before I uninstalled this one and found the problem - I would have just kept one of those.

I wonder if all companies are as uncooperatie as Evenflo?

 

H

hipmaman

Moderator - CPST Instructor

• Jul 29, 2010

• #10

Ladies, it occurs to me that these should be reported to Transport Canada. Outside of the warranty issue, if these pose any safety concern, TC needs to know so it can either start an investigation (which can lead to a recall if necessary) or advise you of what you can do (if the issues are not safety-related and/or TC is aware of their existence). Thank you.

 

marciemp

New member

• Jul 29, 2010

• #11

We had 2 Evenflo infant seats that had the red handle on the back break off (the part that you use to remove the seat from the base). Both of them had the same issue. It was because you had to not pull on the seat at all while you lifted the handle to remove the seat, but when they were in the back of the van it seemed like we yanked on the seat at the same time as the handle to get them out (because it was hard to get them out of the back of the van). They still worked and it didn't effect safety since you could still get the seat in and out of the base you just had to pull on the remaining latch part. They could also have been used without the base also. It made them hard to use but they were still safe I guess.

The breaks happened sometime in the middle of their use, when they were about 2-3 years old and would have had another 3 years before expiry for sure. Maybe they use bad plastic.

ETA: they are no longer in use because they expired Dec 2009, they were purchased as part of 2 travel systems in 2003 and were used for 3 kids each so they did get a lot of use.

 

QuassEE

Moderator - CPST Instructor

• Jul 29, 2010

• #12

marciemp said:

The breaks happened sometime in the middle of their use, when they were about 2-3 years old and would have had another 3 years before expiry for sure. Maybe they use bad plastic.

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Fortunately, the handle and other exterior parts on your carseat are made of a different plastic than the actual shell {There's a really good video tutorial on it if you go to Evenflo's tech site: http://www.safetymadeeasier.com/login.aspx ...}

-Nicole.

 

E

equilibrium

New member

• Jul 30, 2010

• #13

selinajean said:

This to me says that they are providing a seat that is good for the length of warranty, not until the expiry date.

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I would totally agree with this and I would tell your friend to write them with that information. "Olsen on your side" will often investigate things such as this and try to contact the company. I am curious to see what comes out of it.

I would even write them myself stating that I am reluctant to buy their products because of "what I heard"...is it true if something similiar happens to my seat, etc.