Question EPS Foam problem

Unregistered · Apr 21, 2009

I bought the discontinued Fisher Price Safe Voyage carseat because it was a great deal and the reviews were favorable. When my husband was installing the carseat he pressed on the top of the seat to get the tether for the latch system tight. In the process the EPS foam basically shattered and broke into several pieces. Has anyone had a problem with this before. Is this our fault? He did have to push down on the seat hard to get a tight fit but still, it shouldnt break, right? I want to return this seat but I dont know if I'll replace it with a new one. If the EPS foam broke so easily just by pushing on it, I can't imagine how the carseat would hold up in a car accident.

wendytthomas · Apr 21, 2009

Call Britax. They made it. They can send you new foam. However, you don't need to push down hard for the tether. You can't use it rear facing, and forward facing you just need to get the slack off. You don't want it so tight. It's not a point of installation, it just reduces head excursion. So you just need to take the slack out, not add weight to the top of the seat.

Wendy

heyruthie · Apr 21, 2009

Unregistered said:
Has anyone had a problem with this before. Is this our fault? He did have to push down on the seat hard to get a tight fit but still, it shouldnt break, right? I want to return this seat but I dont know if I'll replace it with a new one. If the EPS foam broke so easily just by pushing on it, I can't imagine how the carseat would hold up in a car accident.

This same thing happened to me--it was my fault. it is not a defective seat! EPS foam is MADE to be brittle--that's the whole point of it. it should shatter on impact (rather than your child's head shattering

) that's actually how it protects the child--by breaking.

we broke our EPS foam on a RA, and Britax just let me order the part. they said it happens all the time, when people are not careful with the foam. it's easy to replace (unlinke your child's head.) it was not expensive. and it weighed next to nothing, so shipping was no big deal.

you have to be careful of the foam on any seat when installing.....

Pixels · Apr 21, 2009

The EPS foam cracking in a crash is not a safety concern. The way your husband pressed on it put stress on the foam differently than your child's head would in a crash, because it's from a different direction. The purpose of the EPS foam is to absorb some of the crash forces, like a bike helmet.

Question EPS Foam problem

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