Dorel Group ?s

opheliajoy · Aug 18, 2010

I have been avoiding Dorel products like the plague. I'm in the market for another seat and need to remember why. I'm so forgetful. I'm hoping I've not avoided the wrong company for all these years!
Here's what my (granted) very fuzzy memory holds on to:
that there was a seat, years ago, that Dorel made. It was breaking during accidents and causing serious injuries and death. Dorel KNEW about it, and didn't recall it until after it was forced to.

I can't find a single stitch of evidence to support all of this now. Maybe it was a nightmare?

So my questions are:
Did it happen? Anyone recall the actual name of the seat?
If it did, is anyone still, personally, avoiding them? I have so little trust in corporations, it's very hard to for me to trust any of them. ;-)

Thank you in advance (sometimes take me a awhile to find time to read and write back).

jjordan · Aug 18, 2010

You might be thinking of the Touriva (I think that's the one)? There were notches in the shell of the seat near the head and at least one child suffered brain damage as a result. Here is a link about it (first one that google gave me, didn't read the whole thing!).

opheliajoy · Aug 18, 2010

awe, dang! There it is. That's what I was thinking about. Wow. 5 years no wonder I was avoiding them, that's a long time to NOT do anything.

It's not that I assume the rest of "Them" (companies) ;-) are better.. but when you know something like that, it's hard to shake.

TY!

ketchupqueen · Aug 18, 2010

TBH, while I hate some of Dorel's policies and issues (and communication issues especially) I love some of their seats. It's one of a long list of things to take into account when buying a seat, and there are a LOT of seats they make.

For instance, the Safety 1st Go is now made by them. It's a remake of the SafeGuard Go. They hardly changed ANYTHING. It's a great seat for travel and similar situations. I wouldn't hesitate to buy it.

I have a Complete Air. The design is based heavily on their 3 in 1s, which have been around for YEARS without issues. (I had a defective one, they replaced it promptly, without hassle, and at no charge to me.)

The OnBoard 35 is very, very different from their previous infant seats (many of which were prone to issues) and is a great, long-lasting budget seat for smaller babies.

Etc., etc. I think it's one of MANY things to consider when choosing a seat. That's all.

opheliajoy · Aug 20, 2010

thanks... I'll consider those... It's a jungle out there. ;-) lol.

Carrie_R · Aug 20, 2010

I'm not crazy about Dorel, either, but I own (and use) a few of their seats. They're not necessarily my favorites, but when they're what will get the job done, I don't hesitate to use them.

As you said, every manufacturer has its issues. Sunshine Kids' seats get a lot of love from me (especially the Monterey) but you have the issue of them saying a little *too* much is okay sometimes. Britax seats have a great reputation, but they also have the TC tests to introduce questions. I love my Graco seats but... er, I'm sure they have some drawback I can't recall off the top of my head. Evenflo and Combi have had issues with their infant seats and bases in the past.

I do agree that Dorel takes unusually long to issue recalls (they just issued a recall for adjuster straps on seats that had already expired) and it does give me pause. But, I also know that my children will not automatically be safe because I opt to use someone else's product, nor will my children be automatically safe if I opt to use theirs. We have a member who had a Scenera (followup to the problematic Touriva) save her daughter's life when she was an infant.

ketchupqueen · Aug 20, 2010

*nods* My daughter was in a crash rear-facing in her Scenera and came out unscathed. The entire side of the car she was on was smashed in, it needed major body work. I have no regrets that she was in a (properly installed and used) Scenera, which was what we could afford right then, not something else.

swtgi1982 · Aug 20, 2010

My daughter too was in a scenera in a pretty bad spin out and then a roll over accident. She came out unharmed. The car spun 2-3times before rolling 2.5 times. I am not a big fan of Dorel either, but right now you would never know it. My van is full (3) of Saftey First seats. And I have two dorel in DH car, one in my mothers car, two in the in laws car and three more in my garage.

With three little ones in seats, that was what we could afford for non primary seats that get used less then once a month if that often. The Dorel ones in the non primary vehicles are a scenera like the one in my bad accident so I personally trust that seat.

Carrie_R · Aug 20, 2010

KQ, I didn't know that! I was actually thinking of swtgi, who I believe was in a rollover when your daughter was a baby... so that's two!

Point being, OP, while I don't fault you for avoiding Dorel, I wouldn't fault you for patronizing them, either.

ETA: Crossposted, lol!

swtgi1982 · Aug 20, 2010

Carrie_R said:
KQ, I didn't know that! I was actually thinking of swtgi, who I believe was in a rollover when your daughter was a baby... so that's two!

Point being, OP, while I don't fault you for avoiding Dorel, I wouldn't fault you for patronizing them, either.

ETA: Crossposted, lol!

yes that was me, she was six months old. The EMTs did not expect to find anyone alive as bad as the car looked. But her and I both walked away unharmed. She is still RF til this day in a Dorel seat!

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