Customer Reviews:
 Happier now - NEW REVISED installation method much better! April 23, 2008
Little Bird (San Francisco)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
NEW REVISED long belt route installation method works much better
UPDATE from earlier review
Please note: I am installing the frontier with SEAT BELT installation (NOT LATCH) as my son is over 40LB.
It is stated on the chair that unless your car manual states otherwise, you should assume that the latch anchor limit is for a 40LB child.
As I reported before, I was unable to get a good secure fit using the belt method printed in the manual. After several failed attempts, (by me, a CPS certified Highway Patrol officer, and CPS certified technicians at a local store) I was mystified!
I was obviously not alone. The only good fixes reported on this site were all using the latch.
[...]
I have finally got the good fix that I have been looking for! But believe me it was hard - practically impossible if you are alone. You need one or two heavy people pushing the chair down with all their might and one person ready to latch the seat belt. In fact on my first attempt I thought my seat belt was too short. It was REALLY hard to get it to reach. But once we did, it felt very stable. And then with the additional top tether, it's fantastic!
One note, this should be considered as the chair that never moves. If you want a chair to move from car to car, this may not be the best bet. It's really awkward and hard to install as I have explained.
One thing that concerned me was that the car belt straps get quite buckled and folded when they go through the holes. I have always read that the belt should always be as flat as possible when using car seats. However. When I asked Britax about this, they just said there was nothing to be done about it. It's impossible not to have bucked belts with this routing method.
4 stars now - I have taken one star off because of the trouble I have had to go through to get a good safe installation. But other than that, I am very happy with the look, comfort and safety features. Of course the best is that the 5 point harness goes up to 80LB!!
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I had high hopes for this seat. I have done a LOT of research on chairs and this one seemed to have all the elements that I've been looking for (e.g. 5 point harness for heavier child, side impact protection, head protection etc.).
I have been trying to install it and have found it impossible to get a tight fit in either of our two cars (Outback and Prius).
I have to use the car seat belt to attach it as my child is too heavy to use the latch system. The fit is awful and the seat slides around all over the place...much more than the specified 1". By the way, I am also using the top tether. Even though my child is too heavy for us to use the latch anymore, I tried it just to see whether it would work better. But it really wasn't great either. The holes that are meant for the latch straps (and seat belt) are very awkward to access and not at a good angle for tightening.
Other than that, when my child is sat in it (not in the car) he looks very comfortable. I am quite happy with the head impact protection, although the wings could have been a bit deeper. Also, I doubt if the arm rest will provide any protection in a crash. I'd be interested to see some side impact testing results...if there are any.
Today I am plannig to go to a trained car installer to see if they can get a better fit for me. If not, I'll have to return it and probably get another Recaro Signo that I'm happy with (but the 5 point harness does not have such a high weight limit).
 Good seat, not easy to install April 26, 2008
K. Tan (Jacksonville, FL)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
We have been waiting for Britax to launch this new Frontier and we bought it right after it came out. The seat itself is good, looks sturdy, it has everything we need. The only problem is we were not able to install it in our Prius after so many attempts. We read other reviews and they all had the same problem, the seat were not stable nor secured after installing according to the manual.
We were going to return the seat but decided to call Britax support 1-888-427-4829 and asked them for help, they explained to us a different way to install it (we use lap belt for harness mode), which we would never knew how to do it by reading the manual. I guess they have seen many negative reviews right after they launched the Frontier and tried to fix the problem. The customer support told us that their technician just went to the car showroom to try the seat on different models, and they had specific instructions for Prius. We followed their instruction and were finally able to install the seat securely. I suggest you call Britax support line before returning it, the customer service stayed on the phone with us until we finished installing. After it is installed properly, the seat looks pretty good and secured. My son is happy riding in it. We're happy we didn't return the seat.
 Child in Motion April 25, 2008
Tonya Keller (Baton Rouge, La.)
5 out of 20 found this review helpful
I purchased the Britax Frontier Toddler seat for my 3 year grand-daughter.
The latch system on this seat needs a major overhaul. I have tried everything except running 8 inch lag bolts through my back seat to secure it. Britax did a great job on the quality of this seat but you just can't put your child in it while the car is moving. I now own the Graco Nautilus. It is not a Britax but at least it dosn't move.
 Very comfortable April 21, 2008
Erin Murphy (Palm Harbor, FL)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
My 3 year old daughter is very comfy in this seat. We have it in the harness mode right now and she has fallen asleep in it twice... she never sleeps in the car.
It was a little hard to install, much harder than my other Britax. The Latch straps didn't tighten easily.So I got a little frustrated ,but it didn't help that it was 80 degrees outide.
Another great Britax product May 1, 2008
R. Bear (Everett, Wa.)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I had been waiting for this seat to come out. My daughter was graduating up to a "big girl" seat from her Marathon (which we also loved). I really wanted to have her stay in a five point harness as long as possible. This seat has it all- five point harness, true side impact head protection, cup holders (all important for her!), ability to convert to a booster and the trusted Britax name. We are overall very happy with this seat. I did have to use the long belt path (which is not in the manual, but online). They way the belt comes out of the shell on the short path would not work in our Durango, but it is snug as can be with the long belt path. I think that for people that have used other Britax products with the built in lock offs, this is a more difficult installation, but it works fine, just a little more effort. Make sure you read all of the manual before installing as it IS different that other Britax products. I am very happy to have this seat for my precious cargo!
|
