Michigan Internet Marketing Club: Britax Recall Impacts Top-Rated Convertible Car Seats

Britax Recall Impacts Top-Rated Convertible Car Seats

Britax has issued a recall for Britax Marathon, Boulevard, and Advocate ClickTight convertible child seats, due to the potential for the red harness adjuster button (located above the ClickTight dial) used to loosen the harness to remain in the release position after the harness is tightened. That position may allow the harness to loosen when a child moves within it. A loose harness seriously compromises a child’s safety in a crash as they are at risk for added injury, potential ejection from the seat, and contact with the vehicle interior.

The recall includes Britax Advocate, Boulevard, and Marathon ClickTight models produced between August 1, 2014, and July 29, 2015. (The date of manufacture of the seat is located on front of the seat, to the right of the ClickTight dial just under the fabric cover.) Owners of affected seats that have been registered with Britax should receive a remedy kit that includes a food-grade lubricant. Once applied, the lubricant is intended to allow the adjuster button to move freely and remain ‘locked’ when the harness is tightened.

Britax ClickTight models are Consumer Reports’ top-rated convertible models based on our extensive tests of crash performance, ease-of-use, and most particularly, the ease of which these seats can be secured in a vehicle. We did not experience adjuster buttons that allowed harnesses to loosen during our tests, but admittedly, we aren’t using our seats in everyday scenarios and with kids like you are.
However, our tests did reveal other risks associated with the harness of ClickTight Convertibles. Early ClickTight models were subject of assembly issues where lower harness loops were not fully engaged on the seat. This issue is luckily something parents and caregivers should be able to remedy themselves by ensuring the harness is fully engaged on its lower hooks.

As always, we can’t stress enough the importance of registering any child seat with the manufacturer so that you don’t miss out on important safety information such as this. If you have not formally registered your seat or need additional information, we encourage you to contact Britax Customer Service at 888-427-4829 or e-mail Britax.

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