Britax Click Tight... harness attachment question

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jan 5, 2015

• #1

I'm not talking about the metal hooks on the bottom of the click tight plate, that some people have had fall off on the very early seats.

Has anyone yet encountered a parent concerned that the CT will release in a crash and allow harness+child+click tight plate/seat pan to move up from the rest of the seat?
I was trying to convince a dad the other day that it's just not going to happen, there's all kinds of load bearing steel clampy parts down under there, but he didn't like the 'more places to fail' feeling the seat gave him, and went with a regular BV.
Any ideas how to deal with this if it ever comes up again? BRU's out of regular BV's right now and I hate losing a sale

 

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician

• Jan 5, 2015

• #2

I haven't heard of this happening, but I can tell you I've had the same worries as that dad! I'd really love to see the Britax crash tests of these seats.

 

DawgDad

New member

• Jan 5, 2015

• #3

I don't understand how it would release. I have the CT Boulevard (Santa brought it for our youngest) and it installed really well. The way you have to thread the LATCH through the click-tight mechanism and the LOUD snap it makes...this sucker is NOT going anywhere. If you take it through the motions of a crash in theory, it would not wiggle itself enough to release from the seat even if somehow the CT apparatus clicked out (not to mention the child's weight would keep it down). You can still snuggly install the seat BEFORE you engage the CT portion...I love the seat. Plus, it looks a LOT better than the older gen Boulevard.

 

1mommy

New member

• Jan 5, 2015

• #4

I'd personally be more concerned about it not releasing, that sucker can take some force to twist and open that seat, and I have heard a few people here having troubles getting it to release and needing to take it apart by a screwdriver Not to mention with the child's weight on it even if by chance the mechanism to release was engaged, I don't see how it could have enough force to lift the child up.

Maybe have the child sit in the seat and try to release the click tight and see what happens?

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jan 5, 2015

• #5

I think he was imagining RF and the child launching up and back? I just had no response...

True, though, I do spend a fair amount of time telling people how to get it UNclicked, I know that's a real concern sometimes.

 

Keeanh

Well-known member

• Jan 5, 2015

• #6

I'm always sceptical of new technology. The first thing I thought of when CT came out was "so everything is dependent on a latch holding the seat pan down?" I know, we're already depending on the seatbelt buckle and the harness buckle, but those have stood the test of time. I prefer to just have the seatbelt straight through a belt path and into the buckle. Same reason I do baseless infant installs. I don't like adding more points of possible failure.

 

Dillipop

Well-known member

• Jan 5, 2015

• #7

The seatbelt will lock in a crash, so even if the click tight mechanism fails, the belt will hold the seat. Same thing as a locking clip- if it flies off, the belt is there as the actual locking mechanism in a crash. Locking clips and built in lockoffs are there to keep the seat in the proper position precrash so that the belt can do it's job during the crash. I have no concerns about the click right malfunctioning in a crash, since the belt will lock and is what ultimately restrains the seat.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jan 5, 2015

• #8

Dillipop said:

The seatbelt will lock in a crash, so even if the click tight mechanism fails, the belt will hold the seat. Same thing as a locking clip- if it flies off, the belt is there as the actual locking mechanism in a crash. Locking clips and built in lockoffs are there to keep the seat in the proper position precrash so that the belt can do it's job during the crash. I have no concerns about the click right malfunctioning in a crash, since the belt will lock and is what ultimately restrains the seat.

Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I tried to tell him.. But the harness itself is attached to the part of the seat that flips up. So that was his concern, the whole click tight plate and harness separating from the main shell of the seat, the part that is attached to the car, so my explanations fell very flat

 

Dillipop

Well-known member

• Jan 5, 2015

• #9

I forgot about that part! It still doesn't concern me but I don't know how to get others to not be concerned...

 

Brianna

New member

• Jan 5, 2015

• #10

Hasn't Britax made seats like the CT's in Europe for a while? I think we would have real world data by now if the design were opening in crashes.

 

aeormsby

New member

• Jan 5, 2015

• #11

You could equate it to the entire infant seat clicking into the base. Theoretically the harness/seat pan/child moving part is still at least attached to the seat at the hinge unlike an infant seat disconnecting from a base.

 

H

Hazelandlucy

Active member

• Jan 6, 2015

• #12

If I was in that position, I would just talk up Britax and the amount of crash testing they do, etc. Basically just try and get the customer to trust the company and their safety record - plus the fact they don't want a huge lawsuit! Maybe just take a few quotes from the website about their crash testing?

I will say that I am in England right now and finally saw my beloved rigid latch/load leg seat in action and actually used the seat a bit (so exciting for me, haha.) Now that seat is not going anywhere! When I went back to our car and the Britax Clicktight I bought to use on this trip, I had a lot of the same thoughts!

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Jan 6, 2015

• #13

Brianna said:

Hasn't Britax made seats like the CT's in Europe for a while? I think we would have real world data by now if the design were opening in crashes.

Click to expand...

Yes. Plus the King. Plus it's super similar to the cybex tensioning plate.

 

D

DogznKatz

Active member

• Jan 6, 2015

• #14

Keep it Simple.

Britax has a stellar record when it comes to testing (yada yada..) and Clicktight has been in place for several years with the Frontier 90 and to my knowledge no known failures.

Therefore, Clicktight on a smaller and lighter seat for smaller children - - no worries.

 

H

henrietta

Well-known member

• Jan 8, 2015

• #15

You guys are freaking me out!!!
I don't really see it coming undone AND causing a failure. But the harness *is* attached at the bottom of the moveable portion (which is annoying and unnecessary and makes it harder to close the Click Tight bottom).

And I totally forgot about the click for when the harness is tight enough...and scared the poo out of myself thinking I had broken the seat when it started clicking!