Baby Trend's response to my Fastback complaints. tl;dr: LATCH is superior and yer doin it wrong.

EmmaCPST

CPST Instructor
http://www.facebook.com/BabyTrend/posts/337676226269282 (there were two posts because they didn't reply at first and they keep responding to a different one, so I consolidated the text here)...

Emma Douglas
I won the Fastback contest, and received the seat on Friday - thank you! But I can NOT get it installed with a seat belt in any vehicle. I'm a CPST, I've done hundreds of installs and no matter what I do, the seat belt is tight but there is still side to side movement as well as rotational movement at the belt path in the five different vehicles I've tried. The LATCH is great - but there are tons of vehicles and seating positions that don't have LATCH! I've also tried it as a booster with several kids and the belt fit is pretty atrocious, the lap belt sits way up in the child's tummy. I'm really, really disappointed with this seat, Baby Trend.

Baby Trend
We have tested the car seat in hundreds of vehicles and wanted to know, can you tell us what vehicles you installed the car seat in? We want to investigate this further. Thanks for your feedback!

Emma Douglas
1998 Honda CRV, 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser, 1999 Honda Odyssey, 2005 Chevy Impala, and a 2009 Mazda CX-9. Booster fit was tried with a 33 pound 3.5 year old (who does NOT ride in a booster, ever, but meets the requirements according to the instruction manual, he was just checked for fit), a 48 pound 6 year old, and a 42 pound 4.5 year old. The older kids are not mine and I don't have permission to share their pictures, but I will share a picture of my 3.5 year old.

Baby Trend
Unfortunately, we cannot locate a 1998 Honda CRV quickly to investigate. However, we are still trying. In the meantime please be advised that Baby Trend strives to make sure that our car seats can be installed in as many vehicles as possi...ble.

Since you are a CPST you should know that not all vehicles have a safe location to be installed and older models (pre 2000) do not have LATCH anchors. The FastBack’s innovative design takes full advantage of a vehicles energy management during a collision using the built in REMS and the vehicles LATCH anchors. This method is far superior over a belted installation because it eliminates the movement of the seat due to the stretching properties of belts. The FastBack can also be installed using the vehicles belts and is just as easy or difficult as any other car seat using this method in the same vehicle. However, one of the biggest features of this seat in the exclusive REMS which is the easiest, most secure and preferred installation method that takes full advantage of the increased safety features when installed in vehicles equipped with LATCH anchors.

Because it is impossible to check every production model for every car manufacture we test fit in most models for the previous 10 years. Also, please note that on page 22 of the Owner’s Manual it reads:

Not all vehicle seat belts or seating locations can be used with this Car Seat. Read vehicle owner’s manual and “Vehicle Seat Belts” section in this manual.

Some vehicles do not have any safe location for this Car Seat to be installed. In addition, many vehicles do not have seat belt systems that will adequately hold this Car Seat in the required position. Please refer to both this manual and your vehicle owner’s manual for complete information for proper, safe installation of this Car Seat.
 
ADS

jeminijad

New member
Wow.

As often as we state that seatbelt and LATCH are equally safe, as long as the seat is used and installed correctly- that may no longer be true, if manfacturer's are now **designing** around LATCH installations.

Wonder if the crash test performance for the FastBack is great with LATCH and less great with seatbelt.
 

Stelvis

New member
Wow, you'd think they could at least punctuate a response like that properly. So they didn't respond about the booster fit at all?
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
It's true that not every seat will be compatible with every car, but if they're saying their seat is incompatible with "many" seatbelts, that's a problem, IMO.

On the other hand, Peg has said for years that their seat installs better with LATCH. And that's very true for the infant seat.

I have to say I'm not impressed with whoever is running their FB page... :whistle:
 

EmmaCPST

CPST Instructor
It's true that not every seat will be compatible with every car, but if they're saying their seat is incompatible with "many" seatbelts, that's a problem, IMO.

On the other hand, Peg has said for years that their seat installs better with LATCH. And that's very true for the infant seat.

I have to say I'm not impressed with whoever is running their FB page... :whistle:

That's exactly my problem - that I've tried to install it using the seat belt in many vehicles without success! And that I've installed many other seats in my car without issue so clearly it's not that I'm expecting something crazy weird with a strange seat belt setup or a seat belt type that IS incompatible with car seats.

I wish there were some other techs nearby that could try it out with me because I really am flummoxed by it!

I also have a huge issue with a HWH that they want to say the preferred method of installation is LATCH, yet in their own manual they put the LATCH limit at 50 pounds. I know most 65 pound kids aren't really going to fit in an 18" harness anyway, but if they only want you to use LATCH, than what are you supposed to do with a 55 pound kid if he fits in the harness by height? It's just too many contradictions for me.

And obviously, I won this seat so it's not like I spent $200 on it and have room to be pissed in that regard, but still just as a CPST it's frustrating.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
I asked on their FB page, but I'll ask here, too: How much lateral movement are you getting, and what do you mean by rotational movement?

It might be that this seat really is just a PITA with the seatbelt, which is unfortunate but not completely unique. It just means it won't get recommended very often if that's the case.
 

EmmaCPST

CPST Instructor
I asked on their FB page, but I'll ask here, too: How much lateral movement are you getting, and what do you mean by rotational movement?

It might be that this seat really is just a PITA with the seatbelt, which is unfortunate but not completely unique. It just means it won't get recommended very often if that's the case.

haha I just replied there- but there's a video in this thread: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=215988

Basically, in addition to the side to side movement, I can rotate the entire seat almost 90 degrees. Reminds me of a RF Radian when you're trying to install with long belt stalks.
 

yetanotherjen

CPST Instructor
If you still have it, I am going to be in Denver quite a bit in April maybe we can plan a car seat play date :)

Also if you didn't know already the CO instructor conference will be opened up to technicians for the first 4 hours :) Susan told me that today, I can't remember what she said or who she said would be speaking but it would be a lot of great technical stuff. So keep an eye out for her emails!

Oh and am I the only person that didn't know Lifesavers is going to be in Denver next year?!?!?!? SOOOOOOO excited!
 

EmmaCPST

CPST Instructor
If you still have it, I am going to be in Denver quite a bit in April maybe we can plan a car seat play date :)

Also if you didn't know already the CO instructor conference will be opened up to technicians for the first 4 hours :) Susan told me that today, I can't remember what she said or who she said would be speaking but it would be a lot of great technical stuff. So keep an eye out for her emails!

Oh and am I the only person that didn't know Lifesavers is going to be in Denver next year?!?!?!? SOOOOOOO excited!

NO I didn't hear that about Lifesavers - so cool!!! And I will definitely keep my eye out for the instructor conference, I haven't even seen anything about it in my emails from Susan. It's possible I just didn't pay close attention though if it was labeled instructor conference. I don't even know when it is!

You should add me on FB Jen, let me know when you'll be up this way! I'm /douglasem :D
 

yetanotherjen

CPST Instructor
NO I didn't hear that about Lifesavers - so cool!!! And I will definitely keep my eye out for the instructor conference, I haven't even seen anything about it in my emails from Susan. It's possible I just didn't pay close attention though if it was labeled instructor conference. I don't even know when it is!

You should add me on FB Jen, let me know when you'll be up this way! I'm /douglasem :D

done :)

Susan may not have sent out info to techs yet, she and I talked about it today while waiting for students to finish testing. The conference is July 26th and 27th, so it would be the first 4 hours on the 26th, no idea on cost or anything.
 

Kac

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I tried J in it in Target and was not impressed AT ALL, so this doesn't surprise me. :eek:
 

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