question about car seat warranty..

VirginiaDavis

New member
Hi all! I have a question :)

I have seen it said, if you add something to your car seat, say a new cover, thats not from the manufacturer, it voids your warranty on the seat.

Could you explain this better to me?

Thanks :D
 
ADS

mommaon112903

New member
This is just my take on it, I am not a tech, so this is just my :twocents:

I see it that if you are involved in an accident and are using an after-market product the car seat company can not be held liable for any injuries sustained. Neither can you expect your medical insurance to cover any medical expenses associated with the injuiries since you were using a seat improperly.

Graco's manuals stink though, as they say it is safe to use a car seat protector under their seats. :thumbsdown:
 

VirginiaDavis

New member
This is just my take on it, I am not a tech, so this is just my :twocents:

I see it that if you are involved in an accident and are using an after-market product the car seat company can not be held liable for any injuries sustained. Neither can you expect your medical insurance to cover any medical expenses associated with the injuiries since you were using a seat improperly.

Graco's manuals stink though, as they say it is safe to use a car seat protector under their seats. :thumbsdown:

That is my understanding too, but Ive never really questioned it, ya know? I dont use those things on my seats and I caution others now that I have learned more about car seat use! But sometimes, someone is like: But why? And Im like: I dont know? but this is my understanding of it.. LOL Figured someone here would have the good technical answer!

Thanks!
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Say you're using one of the new $440 Britax Advocates. You've had it two weeks and you're using it for your two week old (which I wouldn't recommend, but just go with me here). You have one of those snugglers in there, or a double headrest. Something to support the baby (not just rolled receiving blankets, which will go flying in a collision). You get in a collision and your baby is injured. You call Britax in an understand rage and tell them what was going on. You threaten to sue because you had the installation checked by a certified tech beforehand, so it must be that the seat failed. You want Britax to pay for a new seat, to pay your medical bills, and pay your stress. Well, sorry. You were using it improperly, and that's why your baby was injured. Tough. You have no way to sue Britax, even if the seat DID fail. You weren't using it properly. You can't prove it was Britax's fault.

Does that make it make more sense?

Wendy
 

Pixels

New member
There is no warranty that your child will be protected by the seat. The warranty is only for things like lockoffs breaking, covers fuzzing, harnesses fraying due to normal, everyday use.

Every manual specifically has a disclaimer that not every crash is survivable, even with a properly used seat. The seat is not guaranteed to protect your child from injuries.

Now, in very rare circumstances, there have been lawsuits filed and won where the case was that the child restraint failed or was improperly designed.

In your everyday crash, a different cover shouldn't make a significant difference. The big thing about using original covers is that it is designed to properly fit your seat, covering what needs to be covered (like foam) and not covering what shouldn't be (like labels), it has the airbag warning label on it for RFing seats, and it has been tested to meet flammability requirements. If your vehicle caught on fire and your child was burned, using an aftermarket cover would mean that your child would sustain worse injuries.

Other products are more likely to cause injury in a common crash. BundleMes are too bulky, and introduce slack into the harness, increasing the likelihood of ejection. The MightyTite (1) stretches out the vehicle belts, so that they can't stretch like they are designed to during the crash, and (2) you can get the belt SO tight with it that you can damage the belt path of the carseat.
 

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