Anyone else feeling unsettled about Dorel seats?

ZephyrBlue · Jul 14, 2007

After reading the article linked on the main carseat page, I'm feeling nervous about my Apex 65 and 2 spare Sceneras. I was convinced that they were safe seats without the frills and nice materials, but now, knowing that Dorel has knowingly overlooked safety issues in the past (and with a lower-cost seat, the Touriva), I'm seriously thinking about not using these 3 seats anymore. That would put a huge strain on my budget, having to buy different seats when I was not expecting to replace spare seats, but it's a nasty, uneasy feeling, knowing that this company is capable of knowingly selling seats that had safety flaws. Is anyone else feeling this way, or am I overreacting?

joolsplus3 · Jul 14, 2007

ugh, dumb internet connection lost my post.

Yes, lots of us have had issues with Dorel, for years (everything from selling shield boosters long after we knew they were unsafe, not recalling seats for poor labeling or bad manuals or a lack of proper padding as required by the Canadian government...etc...)... but I think the Scenera and Apex are certainly safe when used correctly, so I wouldn't worry too much about breaking the budget to replace them.

MsFacetious · Jul 14, 2007

Yes I have always been not thrilled with Dorel. This just reinforced my feeling.

Victorious4 · Jul 14, 2007

I don't like most companies on the whole, but certain products are totally decent -- the Scenera is tried & true, the Apex I just don't see any major problems with so long as it's used correctly of course (although I do wish Dorel would get over themselves & put the $ into eliminating the headrest issue).

laurenrachey · Jul 14, 2007

ETA Nevermind I see the article now. Wow. And now I see Evenflo also had a problem

We have an Eddie Bauer 3in1 and we are waiting on the Signo, I can't get it fast enough, and I'm praying I'm not making a mistake not pre-ordering. I've thought about replacing the EB with a Triumph Advance for backup, even though it would rarely if ever be used.

I don't wanna leave the house with my baby

Who do you trust?

waterbaby · Jul 14, 2007

If we had Dorel, yes, I would have the same reservations. Kind of puts the Britax dealio in perspective, I think. Sure, a bit of a pain, but I'm glad they are more proactive about changes, kwim?

sb518 · Jul 14, 2007

I went to baby depot today and found the evenflo tribute 5 all over the place! I was sickened when I pulled the cover down and found this:

Then a new version:

I'm so maddened by this! How can these seats stay on the shelves

:thumbsdown:

bethng · Jul 14, 2007

Is Dorel another company name for Cosco?

UlrikeDG · Jul 14, 2007

Yes. Dorel is the parent company for Cosco, Safety 1st, and Eddie Bauer.

Ooo. From the Dorel Corporate website:

US operations include Dorel Juvenile Group, which markets the Cosco and Safety 1st brands as well as Eddie Bauer and Disney Baby licensed products; Ameriwood Industries, which markets ready-to-assemble furniture products under the Ameriwood, Carina, SystemBuild, Altra Furniture and Ridgewood brands; Cosco Home & Office, which markets home/office products under the Cosco brand and Samsonite license as well as home healthcare products under the Cosco Ability Essentials and Adepta brands; and Pacific Cycle, which markets several brands including Schwinn, Mongoose, GT, InSTEP, Playsafe and Roadmaster. In Canada, Dorel operates Dorel Distribution Canada, Ridgewood Industries and Dorel Home Products. Dorel Europe markets juvenile products throughout Europe, under the Bébé Confort, Maxi-Cosi, Quinny, Safety 1st, Babidéal, Mon Bébé and Baby Relax brands. Dorel Asia sources and imports home furnishings products. Dorel is the majority owner of IGC Dorel Pty, a manufacturer and distributor of juvenile products in Australia, whose two principal brands are Bertini and Mother’s Choice. Dorel also has eight offices in China, headquartered in Shanghai, which oversee the sourcing, engineering and logistics of the Company’s Asian supplier chain.

ZephyrBlue · Jul 14, 2007

I talked it over with dh and we're getting rid of our Dorel seats. I have loved the Sceneras for back up seats, but we feel like there is just too much on the line to trust Dorel/Cosco, and I just feel like using their products in some way endorses them, which I just can't at this point. Seeing the notches on the Tribute really disturbs me, too. Ugh. DD's Apex is only a few months old, too. Ugh again.

all together ooky · Jul 14, 2007

Yeah, I don't agree with their policies/practices on the whole, but I'm not about the throw out the Scenera I have. It's a decent seat without notches.

didymama · Jul 14, 2007

i feel like i have to chime in here. i actually like my coscos. i have a scerena and have had a total of 3 tourivas and 2 AOs. i really like the scerna (didn't at first). all are 5pt harnesses. yeah they have their quirks, but i have learned to work around it and my kids are in safely. i also have a graco CS which i am not thrilled about. it could be soo much better.

food for thought-doesn't every company have it's issues. evenflo are idiots (discovery, tribute, embrace recall stuff), graco has had their things too. even our beloved britax-(i can't afford one by i do drool) has it issues-like why were they going to issue a consumer advisory and not out right recall????? and they folks that have had to return their seat-those were pretty big issues. a CPST in the area even said that before he installs a britax he has to call them. what's up with that?

i maintain that if it passed safety testing, is a 5pt harness (not OHS) and fits your kid well and your car well then it is a safe seat. and also that it is used right EVERY TIME.

so before we lay claws into one company remember that every company has their skeletons. at least i can get dorel on the phone and they have always be acurate with me. i think we will agree that britaxs CS leaves much to be desired, along with some other companies.

also-around here i see sooooo many folks that use BAD seats. i would rather see that child in a $40 scerena that is new and installed properly than some of the other things. i think i have given them a lot of business since i will openly tell people that are about to pick up a used, possibly damaged seat that they can get a new and far safer one at walmart for $40. most people thank me graciously.

Victorious4 · Jul 14, 2007

I agree. Correct use is the biggest issue with keeping kids safe. But, I certainly don't disagree with any family who is capable of choosing a seat with more safety features if they're able to. EPS/EPP foam alone should make a big difference, I think.

ZephyrBlue · Jul 14, 2007

Julie, you make good points. The problem I'm having is that somehow, Dorel and Evenflo's seats were passing the minimum safety reg's- and were still responsible for major injuries as well as child deaths. So, while, many of us have been using the Scenera and loving it, what if it's one of those Dorel seats that passes the test at 30mph, and literally disintegrates at 30.8mph? We won't know that until and/or if it happens. I am uncomfortable putting my kids in such a large "what if?" situation, knowing that this company has willingly sold seats that they knew were dangerous, just because somehow, they managed to meet a minimum government standard. At least we know that Britax, Recaro and Sunshine Kids seats EXCEED minimum standards. And while I think the whole Regent thing has been totally bungled by Britax, there have been no children injured by the issue that prompted the Advisory. To me, there's a big difference between those 2 instances. I guess it's one of those things that parents are going to have to decide on a situational basis. For us, it's just not worth the risk. But I can see how some people will trust the seats, and I can understand their position, too. And I really think, not for the first time in the past 7 years that I've been buying carseats, that it's VERY unfair and just not right that kids whose parents can afford a more expensive seat can indeed be safer than kids whose parents can't. That just downright sucks.

ZephyrBlue · Jul 14, 2007

Tiffany, do you mean that correct use is of paramount importance, regardless of the actual quality of the seat? (by quality, I mean true safety of the seat when used correctly) I don't see how a seat that is inherently dangerous because of design or materials (ie the old Touriva, taking an example from the Chicago Tribune article) could be deemed to be as safe as say, a Boulevard, even if used correctly.

didymama · Jul 14, 2007

papooses said:
I agree. Correct use is the biggest issue with keeping kids safe. But, I certainly don't disagree with any family who is capable of choosing a seat with more safety features if they're able to. EPS/EPP foam alone should make a big difference, I think.

i agree. my CS has EPS and the radian. the only way i afforded those was a gift card and a really good deal. haven't been that lucky again.

where is the link to this? couldn't find it.

didymama · Jul 14, 2007

i don't think you can look at it that way. think of it as child in BAD SEAT BAD install vs. new, non crashed seat proper install. yes a britax may be better, but imagine the horror of seeing a child in a evenflo ultara OHS from 4/95 which i destroyed today.

ZephyrBlue · Jul 14, 2007

i don't think you can look at it that way. think of it as child in BAD SEAT BAD install vs. new, non crashed seat proper install. yes a britax may be better, but imagine the horror of seeing a child in a evenflo ultara OHS from 4/95 which i destroyed today.

I agree. A non-expired seat that properly fits the child, installed correctly has got to be safer than a "bad" seat or a bad install. I was comparing using a "new" Dorel seat vs. using a "new" seat of a different brand, more or less- doing a unilateral comparison of safety. I gave a used Evenflo seat away on FC last week- not the safest choice, but safer than the 1990-something Century Smart Move OHS seat they were using, at least I hope so.

Jeanum · Jul 14, 2007

all together ooky said:
Yeah, I don't agree with their policies/practices on the whole, but I'm not about the throw out the Scenera I have. It's a decent seat without notches.

:yeahthat: I personally don't feel 100% comfortable with the practices of several companies whose carseats I currently own, and I'm not referring exclusively to the companies focused upon in today's news article. But I'm not ready to throw the baby out with the bath water so to speak. Barring any recalls or some compelling evidence of catastrophic failure with the seats we currently have, I probably will continue to own and use them as long as they fit my kids properly, and can be properly installed and used in our vehicles or borrowed/rented cars. DH and I accidentally left DD2's Scenera behind at the airport parking structure after a trip in May.

I likely would replace it with another Scenera if I were going to fly again and DD2 still fit properly. :twocents:

Jeanum · Jul 14, 2007

didymama said:
where is the link to this? couldn't find it.

The news article and related video can be viewed at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/chi-carseats-special,0,7167915.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Anyone else feeling unsettled about Dorel seats?

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