Over the last year, we have become increasingly disturbed by the conduct of car seat manufacturers when faced with a possible recall. On the 20th of December, Recaro North America issued a "Consumer Advisory" for the Recaro Como child seat. We are amazed at how poorly they have addressed the issue.
Back Story: Recaro provides robust construction, side-impact protection and style. You pay for those features, but what you get when properly installed, is a safe seat. They have some downsides, but in general, they have a good product and good reputation. That they may have to issue a recall is not a shocker. Every manufacturer eventually has recalls. When handled well they improve the brand, not hurt it.
The following references seatbelt installations not LATCH installations. If you are using LATCH you should not be concerned about the "lock-off" issue being addressed.
Safety Squad works with all types of seats and installations. It's not uncommon for us to install one seat four or more different ways in one vehicle to find the best position. We deal with lock-offs every day and often call manufacturers when something is unclear; if we don't understand...then parents definitely won't. Car seat makers installed lock-offs on seats as a supplement or alternative to locking devices built into vehicles (locking retractors, locking latch plates, etc). Many of the errors parents make when installing seats with seatbelts can be related to locking difficulties. So, car seat makers added lock-offs to make it easier. When a lock-off is used instead of a switchable retractor or latch plate and the lock-off fails the seat will loosen.
Parents use the lock-off, because they didn't use the switchable retractor already installed in most vehicles to achieve tightness. That's fine, if the manufacturer of the car seat indicates that lock-offs are sufficient.
Now the problems with Recaro's Advisory Notice:
1. Terminology: Parents understand "Recall", not "Consumer Advisory". Recall, elicits a sense of urgency. In the current climate, it would seem that parents should be told in clear terms, how to react. "Consumer Advisory" should be limited to issues that do not affect the installation or operation of the restraint system (i.e. Graco labeling errors this week). The Recaro issue directly affects the installation and operation of the seat, so treat it that way.
2. Notice: Recaro is not a big name in car seats yet, but people need to know. Many parents don't send in their warranty cards and often only hear about recalls and "Consumer Advisories" in the media. I just googled "Recaro Recall" and "Recaro Consumer Advisory" for news or web results. The only result pertinent to this issue was the Safety Squad Post (Part One). Transparency is best practice. Was there a web press release?
3. Evasion: The term "lock-off" indicates that the seat belt will be held tight. Renaming the component does not eliminate the original intention of the lock-off or eliminate the greater problem... 4 of 5 parents don't install seats correctly and it's not their fault. Partial blame goes to bad or confusing instructions, poor illustrations and gross generalities in manuals .
4. Double-speak: "The 3-point guide is not a safety feature; it is used to aid consumers in proper installation and positioning of the child restraint system. Are they serious?! If the intention of the lock-off or "guide" is to aid in proper installation, then it is a safety feature. The point of lock-offs, locking clips, or any other locking device is proper installation.
At the beginning of the advisory notice, Recaro explains the reason for the notice:
"To assist consumers in understanding the function of the 3-point guide (commonly known as a lock-off), RECARO North America has updated the terminology used in product manuals.
But, at the end of the advisory notice, Recaro mentions the real issue, "...a variance in friction strength...". "RECARO North America has determined that certain Como seats manufactured prior to Sept. 17th 2007 may have a variance in the friction strength of the 3-point guide." So clearly, this is not about Recaro's need to explain terminology, rather a poorly executed attempt at damage control.
Locking clip: That Recaro offers a locking clip to fix tightness issues clearly indicates that the lock-off was originally intended to hold the belt tight, not only guide the seatbelt. If you feel as a consumer that installation of your child seat is difficult in your vehicle application, RECARO can provide you with a locking clip at no cost, which can be used with your vehicle seatbelt system." By the way, a locking clip is not a first or second choice for installation of a convertible seat... it may be the most difficult to replicate.
Recaro is not the only manufacture of car seats to try to soften the blow of a potential recall, just the latest and most disappointing. Feel free to comment.
For the full Recaro Copy: Download Consumer_Advisory.pdf
I called about my recall two months ago saying i definitely wanted a new seat. They then told me to check the tightness of the straps and if i locked everything then pulled as hard as i could and it stayed tight then my seat wasn't effected. Even though it had the same serial number and date of the recall. So i trusted them then two months go by and i buckled my son in as usual. I get to the doctor appointment only to find all the strap losened and the baby was not secure at all. Thank god i did not stop short or get into an accident or my son could have been killed. It just seems crazy that they automatically wouldn't take back all the seats this could have effected. I was very disappointed and when I finally said something AGAIN they are sending a new seat. I'm so upset with the product I'm unsure i even want to use this seat now but being a single mom and already spending 289 on this seat I dont have the money to go out and buy another one.
Posted by: Nicole Vogt | May 13, 2009 at 08:55 AM