Question 3 Questions

Unregistered · Mar 8, 2011

1. The CMVSS sticker literally fell off our infant SafeSeat. (Manufactured in 2006.) We'll be flying to Australia with it, and now I'm worried there could be a problem if the sticker is missing. Is there any way to have the seat certified so a new sticker could be obtained?

2. We won't be spending much time driving whie in Australia. We'll obviously have the baby's seat with us (will be using it on the plane), but are hesitant to bring our preschooler's Frontier along. I'm considering getting a Clek Olli to use for taxis to/from airports, and on the off chance we decide to rent a car. He's 4.5, about 108cm, and about 18-19kg. I've made it clear to him that this booster will be special for the trip, and he'll still be using his Frontier at home. Is this a bad idea?

3. Just picked up our new Boulevard 65

That'll be for the baby once he's outgrown the
safeseat. Manufactured date is Feb 17, 2011. Is this design in compliance with
the new standards that will be in place come January? (And I have to say I'm thrilled that it will allow extended rear-facing! Our first is so tall that we had no rear-facing options when he was a toddler.)

Thank you!
Melanie

amyd · Mar 8, 2011

I can answer #1 for you. No, you can't get new stickers for the Safeseat. Mine was made in 2007 and is missing all its stickers too. I called Elfe (Graco's Canadian distributor) last week and they told me that all they could offer me was $75 off a new Graco seat (they said they calculated $25/year of the seat's usable life that was left...mine expires at the end of 2013).

ninejr · Mar 8, 2011

Sorry my iPod posted with out me

Sent from my iPod touch using Car-Seat.Org

ninejr · Mar 8, 2011

amyd said:
I can answer #1 for you. No, you can't get new stickers for the Safeseat. Mine was made in 2007 and is missing all its stickers too. I called Elfe (Graco's Canadian distributor) last week and they told me that all they could offer me was $75 off a new Graco seat (they said they calculated $25/year of the seat's usable life that was left...mine expires at the end of 2013).

Pester Graco about the stickers. They sent us a new shell and had us send back the one without stickers. This is a known problem and this (replacement shell) is the fix. I just had to send pictures showing where the stickers were missing and how the other stickers were starting to fall off as well.

Sent from my iPod touch using Car-Seat.Org

amyd · Mar 8, 2011

ninejr said:
Pester Graco about the stickers. They sent us a new shell and had us send back the one without stickers. This is a known problem and this (replacement shell) is the fix. I just had to send pictures showing where the stickers were missing and how the other stickers were starting to fall off as well.

Sent from my iPod touch using Car-Seat.Org

How long ago did you do this? I know that it's a known issue and that others have gotten a new shell. I did send pics of where the stickers should have been (the only one left is the one with the model number & DOM on it) and the $75 credit was what was offered after I did so.

ninejr · Mar 8, 2011

amyd said:
How long ago did you do this? I know that it's a known issue and that others have gotten a new shell. I did send pics of where the stickers should have been (the only one left is the one with the model number & DOM on it) and the $75 credit was what was offered after I did so.

This was in May/June 2010. I think the seat was a little bit newer than yours, so that might make a difference.

Here is a link to the thread
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=125572

mommycat · Mar 8, 2011

1. I think you are right to be worried about the CMVSS sticker not being on the seat for when you fly - if the flight crew asks to see where the seat is certified for flight, this is the sticker they are looking for. Not sure how picky they would be if you had the manual but the sticker was missing. It could mean you aren't allowed to use the seat onboard. When are you flying and with which airline? If you have enough time, try to contact Graco and see if you can get a replacement. Did you by any chance keep the sticker after it peeled off? If yes, I would use doublesided tape to stick it back on and call it a day. Otherwise, I would probably buy a Scenera and take that (practice locking clip install before you leave).

2. While it sounds like your son is tall/heavy enough for the booster and possibly old enough, if he is a mature 4, to sit properly, I would worry about it being a crash course on booster use in an unfamiliar environment on top of the stress and exertion of a long trip. It is not an ideal way to booster train. I also am not sure Olli is the best choice. I don't know what sort of fit it tends to provide, but such a young child and not used to boosters should have a highback. The HB TurboBooster provides excellent fit for smaller booster riders in the majority of cases, so I would get that. I would do some booster training while ou are still home so he is familiar with the seat, and knows that he needs to keep the belt snug and positioned on his hips/thighs, shoulder belt centered on his shoulder without moving around too much, no leaning over, etc. Take the backless section as carry on and pack the highback portion in your suitcase, well wrapped in clothes to protect it. Or, you could pick up an Evenflo Maestro to use harnessed on the plane as well as in AU - it's a lot lighter and smaller than the Frontier.

3. Cant answer that one, sorry, but I would not feel at all hesitant to use it even if it doesn't meet the new standards.

snowbird25ca · Mar 9, 2011

1. Yes, contact Graco about the stickers. If they aren't helpful, please email me.

3. From the crash test perspective I can't answer. From the labels and manual perspective, it is NOT compliant with the new standards. However, it is perfectly safe to use.

Amy - email me through my profile? I'll get you in touch with Barb. Graco has to deal with the issue because the seat doesn't meet standards without the sticker. Additionally, stickers are required by CMVSS to be permanently affixed to the car seat. The absence of stickers at shipping would be considered a defect and prompt a recall - them refusing to deal with a seat that has lost it's stickers due to what is essentially a defect in how they were adhered isn't something they'll be able to get away with.

eta: I emailed you Amy.

Unregistered · Mar 9, 2011

Thank you all!

Re: the CMVSS sticker, I emailed Graco. They responded quickly, and asked for photos. I sent them, and then got this reponse:

"Thank you for providing the required pictures. The pictures have been
reviewed and the stickers are not replaceable on the car seat. All our
infant car seats have a six year life expectancy from the date of
manufacture after which the car seat expires. The car seat below will
expire at the end of 2012. We allocate $25.00 per year left on the car
seat and we would like to offer you a $50.00 mail in coupon towards the
purchase of a Graco product. Please advise if you wish to receive the
coupons. A prepaid postage can be provided which is to be used to send
the car seat to our Quality Control department for inspection. Once the
car seat has been received we will gladly provide the coupons."

I've replied that I am not satisfied with their proposed solution. I'll give a little more time for them to reply, but I will also email you Snowbird.

Re: the new Boulevard 65: I've read different things, including that although the mandatory compliance date was pushed back a year, the phase-in has begun. Because this is a next gen Britax, and manufactured just a couple of weeks ago, I just wonder whether Britax engineered these to be in compliance with the anticipated rules, rather than have to re-engineer/re-certify again in just another year. In any case, I'm sure it is safe and I'll be happy to use it

snowbird25ca · Mar 9, 2011

I just want to post a note to this thread. If you have a Graco Safeseat and have been in contact with Graco already without them offering you a proper resolution, please email me through my profile including what Graco offered you, the year of your DOM, and when you were in contact with them.

I'm peeved at them no longer dealing with this issue properly and I'll be pointing everyone towards the defect investigator with TC. I have a sense of how widespread this problem is, but the complaints need to be made in order for it to become obvious just how many seats are missing the stickers.

Thanks.

FrauDrA · Mar 9, 2011

Thanks for the email! I'll make the call as soon as the kids give me a chance - there may be some TV involved

snowbird25ca · Mar 9, 2011

FrauDrA said:
Thanks for the email! I'll make the call as soon as the kids give me a chance - there may be some TV involved

Awesome. Your call is being expected. Have your DOM and model # info there when you call as she'll most likely need it. :thumbsup:

FrauDrA · Mar 18, 2011

Thanks again for your help, Trudy! She's made a call to Graco, and they've promised me a new sticker within two weeks. Yay!

amyd · Mar 18, 2011

FrauDrA said:
Thanks again for your help, Trudy! She's made a call to Graco, and they've promised me a new sticker within two weeks. Yay!

I was promised the same thing, also thanks to Barb. Today I got a phone call from them saying I will be receiving a new seat instead.

snowbird25ca · Mar 18, 2011

Glad to hear you guys are getting a resolution. Manufacturers are usually pretty cooperative when TC gets involved.

For anyone coming across this thread at a later date, the offer to email me if you have difficulty with Graco remains open as long as your seat hasn't expired.

amyd · Mar 18, 2011

snowbird25ca said:
Glad to hear you guys are getting a resolution. Manufacturers are usually pretty cooperative when TC gets involved.

For anyone coming across this thread at a later date, the offer to email me if you have difficulty with Graco remains open as long as your seat hasn't expired.

I'd be pretty cooperative if Barb was on my case about something too

. Thanks again for your help, Trudy.

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org

amyd · Mar 18, 2011

I just got a confirmation number from Graco that a new seat is on its way:thumbsup:

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org

FrauDrA · Mar 18, 2011

amyd said:
I just got a confirmation number from Graco that a new seat is on its way:thumbsup:

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org

Ooooh, lucky!

FrauDrA · Mar 30, 2011

amyd said:
I just got a confirmation number from Graco that a new seat is on its way:thumbsup:

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org

Have you received it yet? I haven't heard anything from Graco, nor have I received anything. We leave in a week, so I'm getting quite anxious!

amyd · Mar 30, 2011

FrauDrA said:
Have you received it yet? I haven't heard anything from Graco, nor have I received anything. We leave in a week, so I'm getting quite anxious!

Yes, I got a new Safeseat shell (no cover on it and no base) last Thursday. There was also a prepaid label for me to ship the old one back to Graco.

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org

Question 3 Questions

Unregistered

Guest

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

Well-known member

Moderator - CPST Instructor

Unregistered

Guest

Moderator - CPST Instructor

New member

Moderator - CPST Instructor

New member

New member

Moderator - CPST Instructor

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics