The upright Radian install trick

[canadiangie]

I have a Radian with a 06 DOM. The manual was printed in 05. The pictures (coastal blue radian, same seat that appears in the XT manual), are wrong. The feet are clearly not wedged into the bight.

I cannot understand how this has been overlooked for so long. It's pretty much step 2 in a RF install process. 1) add boot, 2) set Radian on vehicle seat and position feet so that they are in seat bight. 3)...

HOW on earth was this left out of the manual if it relates directly to optimal performance? Saying that not wedging the feet in isn't "a huge safety concern" is unacceptable to me. Is it a minor safety concern?

 

[An Aurora]

With every vehicle I have installed the Radian in, with the feet wedged into the seat bight, it would be way over reclined.

 

[Keeanh]

Strange... there's nothing about this new development on Diono's FB page or website. You would think that realizing every RF diagram in every manual from the last 6 years is WRONG would merit more than a mention on a private FB car seat page.

Can we all start pleading with Graco/Evenflo/Britax/1st Years for someone else to make a tall, narrow, low-profile, 45lb RF seat? Oh, and a tall booster with LATCH and nice headwings too while they're at it.

 

[brightredmtn]

OK so actually just checked this when we went out. Apparently the seat shifted over enough when I switched from LATCH to seat belt so it's not on top of the hinge. So the seat is only incompatible with LATCH rear facing center (center LATCH borrows an outboard anchor and uses an off center 5th anchor).

 

[Chely7425]

Strange... there's nothing about this new development on Diono's FB page or website. You would think that realizing every RF diagram in every manual from the last 6 years is WRONG would merit more than a mention on a private FB car seat page.

Can we all start pleading with Graco/Evenflo/Britax/1st Years for someone else to make a tall, narrow, low-profile, 45lb RF seat? Oh, and a tall booster with LATCH and nice headwings too while they're at it.

Yes this ^^ Is my biggest issue here. We tell everyone RTM, follow the directions, look at the diagrams. But uh.. the manual is WRONG and the wording in the manual doesn't really clarify the issue either. HOW do they NOT realize that this is a huge issue?

 

[brightredmtn]

Should we be complaining to NHTSA to force a recall?

 

[Ninetales]

Yeah. I've been beating myself up because I can't afford a Radian for my heavy two year old. With this on top of everything else I've seen from this company I probably wouldn't buy one if I could.

 

[kidzndogz]

I'm pretty confident now that not a single person in that company know what the heck they are doing or anything about this supposed "safest seat" as she claims. The 4th and 5th paragraph totally contradict eachother. It's not a major safety concern to install it forward of the bight, but you must put it in the bight because that's how it was crash tested. ??


The manual is wrong, now apparently it's incompatible with most cars, and you have to jerry-rig it with one of their famous crash tested add-ons. Remember the reissuing of stickers? It's gonna have to be manuals now I guess.

I think letting NHTSA know couldn't hurt.

 

[Syllieann]

The erf alternatives are a seat w/ a 40" stated rf height limit that requires a 45* installation, a seat w/ a 35# rf weight limit, a $350 seat w/ no rebound control that's only *just* become available, or a $450 seat that hasn't been released yet. I still feel better using the rn for my large 3yo than I would about using the ca65.

 

[Shanora]

Fnoof is starting to sound more and more like an option IMO.

Ugh.

 

[gigi]

These kind of random issues (Random manual inaccuracies, super latch failure, car incompatibility, russ telling people to use duct tape, etc) are why I just cannot bring myself to trust a Radian or any Diono seat with my child. Bummer, too, because there are so many things to like, but it just seems to me like no one is minding the store at Sunshine Kids/Diono.

 

[Stelvis]

Also, they never come out and say they were wrong, issue a proactive recall, try to contact everyone about the issue, etc. At least with some other manufacturers you can feel fairly confident that if they realize there's an issue, they'll try to address it promptly, publicly, and proactively.

 

[Little Ps Mama]

Great, I finally break down and buy an RXT and then this happens. Debating whether to send it back to Kohls now. :thumbsdown:

 

[An Aurora]

The erf alternatives are a seat w/ a 40" stated rf height limit that requires a 45* installation, a seat w/ a 35# rf weight limit, a $350 seat w/ no rebound control that's only *just* become available, or a $450 seat that hasn't been released yet. I still feel better using the rn for my large 3yo than I would about using the ca65.

The new Dorel seats allow a more upright installation.

 

[An Aurora]

Here's a picture of my vehicle, showing the little "bump" below the seat bight. If I had the feet in the seat bight, the base wouldn't be in contact with the seat, and it would be way over reclined.

Same year/make/model, different interior color

 

[lishoprah]

I have the same type of bump in the bight of my seat that an aurora has. Ours is a 2006 4Runner with cloth seats, and the bump may even be taller. It would be way over reclined with the feet in the bight of the seat. I guess that at this point I use it this way for 4 more months until my dd is 3? I don't think she'll fit rearfacing in anything else that would fit three across next to a Frontier.

 

[hrice]

I'm with Judi. Looks like I'll be buying 2 Foonfs and selling off my Radians.

 

[An Aurora]

Even if I used an angle adjuster, it would mean that none of the base of the Radian would be in contact with my vehicle seat, which I'm just not sure I'm comfortable with. I'll just FF it until I can sell it, which means my 2yo will be FF until the Foonf comes out or I get a new vehicle.

 

[Syllieann]

The new Dorel seats allow a more upright installation.

Yes, but you may be hard pressed to find the ca65 w/ dual level lines on the shelf and even if you do there's still the 40" thing. The point is that there's really not an affordable option that will be a good erf alternative for a lot of kids so portraying the radian as dangerous because it can't be forced into compatibility might be counterproductive without suggesting an alternative other than ff.

Oh, I was typing when you posted. If you consider ff safer than erf in a radian, then my point is irrelevant so I digress.

 

[tmahanes]

That is similar to what mine looks like except the hump is bigger. :thumbsdown: