Radian Super Latch issues

I didnt have a rn at the time so didnt follow along too much. Now that I have one on the way Ive been watching the youtube videos to try to see what the big deal was. These are the ones Ive watched so far:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddvYnu-uKZA&NR=1"]YouTube - ‪Radian XTSL Super Latch Failure‬‏[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE4c6YKu8_w&feature=related"]YouTube - ‪Radian SuperLATCH failure.MOV‬‏[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijfwl8W3Gxk&feature=related"]YouTube - ‪Sunshine kids Radian XTSL SuperLATCH FAILURE!‬‏[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1EfaGiYcsc&NR=1"]YouTube - ‪Radian XTSL Superlatch.‬‏[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTGDglkRTSU&feature=related"]YouTube - ‪Radian SuperLATCH Failure, Take 2‬‏[/ame]


I do see in 1 or 2 of the videos how little pressure it takes to flip the latch adjuster down to loosen But Im wondering how this is different than other seats?? Ive had a few different rn's and some days the latch was easy to release and some days they took all my strength. I have an 06 Envoy XL and have had that same experience with all my seats Ive installed. No my child has never loosened a seat and on the rn it does put the adjuster right in a good angle for a child to mess with it. But I guess Im not seeing how this is any different then other easily loosened seats like the cco.

Also whats up with all the violent shaking of the seat back?? :thumbsdown: Who shakes the crap out of the carseat before they put their child in?? Im just confused all around I guess. Isnt that exactly how NOT to check for tightness?

The CCO for example has a push button, not a tilt lock. My kid could loosen the SL but not our older one with the push button. Even if he could have worked up enough strength to depress it with his foot, which I doubt, he couldn't have gotten the leverage to pry it loose.

The reason some people have problems with the SL is that when it's installed in certain vehicles, such as mine, the webbing ends up coming out of mechanism at an angle, because the base is so narrow that there's no margin for variation in LATCH positions and angles of different cars. The mechanisms are designed to loosen when they're at an angle from the webbing, which is exactly what you'll see in the initial installations in most of the video examples.

Furthermore, SKJP's customer service surrounding the whole issue has been appalling and insulting. They denied that it was possible for this to happen, accused techs of mis-installing the seats, told me to fix mine with duct tape, etc.

I do understand the whole mad at the company deal Very VERY shady. I do also get the difference with the actual adjusters but wouldnt this just be one of those "some seats are just not compatible with some cars"?

love-pink said:

I do see in 1 or 2 of the videos how little pressure it takes to flip the latch adjuster down to loosen But Im wondering how this is different than other seats??

Also whats up with all the violent shaking of the seat back?? :thumbsdown: Who shakes the crap out of the carseat before they put their child in?? Im just confused all around I guess. Isnt that exactly how NOT to check for tightness?

Click to expand...

love-pink said:

I do understand the whole mad at the company deal Very VERY shady. I do also get the difference with the actual adjusters but wouldnt this just be one of those "some seats are just not compatible with some cars"?

Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't get it too much either.

Yes, except it's very widespread, and it's not easy for the average consumer to tell that it's not compatible upon installation. Mine was in for over a year, I thought rock solid, until my kid's foot got long enough to rest on it. And I mean rest, not violently kick. The force of his toe prying it open over the course of a car ride was all it took. Others had theirs loosen due to the pressure of kids climbing in or out, etc.

Normally when a seat isn't compatible, it's something you notice right away, because it won't install right or you get too much movement at the belt path. The thing that makes this so problematic is that you don't notice it following the normal methods. You have to know exactly what to look for. Which is why even a number of techs have had issues they didn't discover right away.

Now I get it. So I wonder why SK dosent just switch back to the push button style adjuster Would that not eliminate the problem some customers are having??

Also whats up with some of the people in the videos shaking the top of their seats like that? What are they trying to show with that?

ETA: It just really seems like a compatibility thing to me. No matter how long Ive had a seat I always make sure its tightly installed every time I use it. When I buy a seat and install it I notice how easy (or how hard) it is to loosen the latch or seat belt. If a seat is uncomfortably easy to undo I would more than likely not use it. But I dont know if I would blame the seat per say I would just assume this seat dosent work in my car or for my children.

I agree that shaking it violently at the top is not the best demonstration of the problem. Although there is one video where she shows that just tipping it from the top is enough to flip the latch plate and uninstall the seat....makes you wonder what would happen in a rollover.

Just curious, are these videos (any of them) with the new improved SL? Or all the old?

I just got another XTSL (saving for daughter) that had older SL straps and SK is sending me the new one this week. Not saying that either are perfect (or that I can't use the belt IF it works), but I might as well have the newest improvement.

Im not sure if I posted one or not but I know I watched one with a strap with the retainer clip and the person was having the same problem.