cracked EPS foam-what now??

Hi, I have a FPSE that my 32 month old daughter has been sitting in for about 2 years. I just took in out of the car to replace the pad (I have a spare when one in in the laundry.) Anyway, after I took the cover off I notice that the EPS foam is cracked on both sides near where the hips are. It is the point where the belt goes through when the seat is insalled RF. Is this safe? Should I replace the seat? I don't think Fisher-Price has extra EPS foam inserts, although I must admit I didn't check this out. She still fits in the seat. Her head is just above the seat back-but her ears have about 2 inches to go before they reach the top of the shell. SHe weighs 29 lbs so that is not an issue. Thank you!

The only one who can answer that question is the Fisher Price. As far as replacement parts they may not have any because they stopped making child safety seats. If it were me, I would contact Fisher Price regarding the foam.

I did but...

I called FP and they say as long as the peices all fit together in the molded part of the seat it is fine. Of course the person answering the phone is a Customer service rep, not a CPS tech...That is why I posted the question here. I guess I am looking for piece mind. Thanks

As CPS Technicians we advise the parents if something doesn't seem right with the seat then contact the company. For there is no way for us to tell in your situtation if the seat if still safe to use. However if your in doubt, then I would replace the seat for your peace of mind.

can't put a price on peace of mind!

I wanted to continue using it in the spare car. Currently we have a pickup, but since we can only put one child in it we are getting a new vehicle (we have 2 kids now). My plan was to use the FP rearfacing in both vehicles, use our hbb for the 32 month old child in the second car, and get one new seat for her for the new vehicle. Now I think I will get two new seats for the new car. It just doesn't seem right to me that the foam is cracked right where the vehicle belt has to be threaded through the seat. It seems to me that if the foam breaks clean through the vehicle belt will be loose, and the seat will not have as tight an installation. No idea if this thought process makes sense. Do you think broken foam in this spot can alter the tightness of the installation?

Robert-thank you for being so helpful. Do you have any particular seats you recommend? I am not sure whether to go with something like the Britax Marathon, a combo booster or something like the Graco Turbobooster for my oldest. I noticed in your profile that you are a police officer, so I imagine you see some real crashes. I also am a bit concerned about compliance issues with a 3 or 4 year old. Will they see a 5 pt harness as a "baby seat"? If so might they try to "escape" being completely unprotected in a crash? My nephew is 4.5y and is over 40lbs, but has told me that the harness is for babies....Thanks!

As far as the tighntness goes I can't tell with out seeing the seat in person. I would take the seat to a technician to check the fit out (see free car seat inspection link at the to for the nearest technian).
We really don't recommend a child seat becasue different factors can come into play such as the vehicle design, type of seat belts ect. The bottom line for a child seat is
1) The one that fits your child
2) The one that fits your vehilce
3) The set you will use correctly all the time
4) The seat you can afford

Actually a 40 pound child can use the booster seat without the harness, However there needs to be a lap and shoulder belt. As far a your child saying it s baby seat, it up to you to convince him/her thats its a big child seat.

I hope this helps.
Robert

This site has an excellent list of recommended carseats, but I don't remember the links I followed to get to it, so here it is http://www.car-safety.org/carseats.html . The bottom half of the page has the booster/combo seats to look at that have the 2 most important features : high harness slots and a front harness adjuster.
My 5.5 yo ds is still harnessed in a Britax Super Elite (old model Husky), and I told him it's the kind of seatbelt that racecar drivers and airplane pilots use, and he thinks that is VERY cool. I don't make an issue of it usually though...he sits in whatever seat I put him in...it's just one of those things where I have complete parental authority...with an age-appropriate explanation, of course.
Best of luck shopping,

thanks!

DD is actually under 30 pounds. She outgrows everything height wise-never weight wise. It is just that she is already requesting to ride with a BPB like her cousin. I will have to try the race car driver strategy when the time comes. She loves cars and especially open wheel race cars!