Pull strap on Britax fraying???

Kingston54 · July 2011

Our pull strap (the one you pull to tighten - sorry, not sure of the correct term) is fraying - pretty bad too.

I called customer service and they said the car seat is only in warranty one year from the manufacture date or date of sale if we have a receipt. We bought it in December of 2009 right before DS was born. We just started using it about 3 months ago.

They said they can't replace the part for free because there's no way to prove we've only been using it for 3 months. I argued to look at the condition of the rest of it, etc... Now we're waiting on a call back from the manager. I didn't realize the replacement was just $15, but I'm still disappointed.

Has anyone else had this problem?

ANJ410 · July 2011

Wow, no problems here. I have been using my Britax Roundabout for almost three and half years and washed the cushion AND straps more times than I can even count and it still looks like brand new. That is one of the things I love about it. I would get a little assertive with the manager....you definitely should not have to replace parts after only three months of use!

logansmom3212 · July 2011

I didn't have that problem, but my cover did fall apart in the washing machine. They tried to say that the book says hand wash only so they wouldn't cover it, but I argued with them until they did. Just keep asking for what you want and they will probably cave.

Kingston54 · July 2011

Thank you for the replies. Although no one else has had this issue, I am glad to hear you agree that they should cover it. Those seats aren't cheap and we have 3 of them (one in DH's car and MIL's car too).

bim38106 · July 2011

Is it fraying down low? We have that on both our Marathon and on DD1's newer Frontier 85. With the Marathon, it happened pretty quickly but then I had DD2 and was overwhelmed and never got around to calling them. I realized it when I went to wash the cover and took the seat apart...you can't see it otherwise.

Did they say if you HAVE to replace it, safety-wise?

Mind_the_Gap · July 2011

There's a difference between "fraying" and "fuzzing" in the car seat world. Check out these pictures of a Marathon that's fuzzing. Fuzzing isn't a big deal and happens when you aren't pulling the strap perfectly straight through the adjuster.

This is fraying and is a safety issue.

mrsjengle · July 2011

For the price of them, I'd be pissed! We have one for the car and one for dh's truck. The one in the car has been there for several months, and, although the strap isn't frayed, it's gnawed half to death.

mrsjengle · July 2011

Ambsies:
I haven't had any issues with the pull strap, but I just had a different issue with my Marathon and Britax's customer service was amazing.
The anchor strap (which we don't use yet because DD RFs) came unrolled and I didn't see that it was hanging out the rear door of my SUV one night. It got pulled under the rear tire while I was driving which caused DD's car seat to be jerked sideways, snapping the seat while DD was in it. I called, spoke to customer service and then emailed pictures of the broken seat. They just sent me a brand new seat this week. We were still within the one year time period but if I were you I would just ask again. I made sure to point out that I did my research before buying a Britax seat, chose it because of the ratings and safety, and I wanted a great seat that would fit my child for a long time.
Good luck.

The same thing almost happened to us. Luckily I caught it in time. I'm glad your DD is ok.

bim38106 · July 2011

Mind_the_Gap:
There's a difference between "fraying" and "fuzzing" in the car seat world. Check out these pictures of a Marathon that's fuzzing. Fuzzing isn't a big deal and happens when you aren't pulling the strap perfectly straight through the adjuster.
This is fraying and is a safety issue.

Thanks for this! The Frontier is definitely just fuzzing, but the Marathon looks like it might be frayaing as well. These pictures are from almost 2 years ago (it's a secondary seat and we're only just in the last month using it regularly. I need to go check it again right now and decide whether it's useable or not! The first pic looks like fuzzing, but the second makes it look like it might be fraying too...

bim38106 · July 2011

damn, I just ran out to the garage to check it, and it is big time fraying! It's bad. Wow. Going to call them asap. Thanks for this post!

bim38106 · July 2011

Just FYI, I just called Britax and they said they would send me a 1-time replacement strap for free (since our seat is way past the warranty. I think we've had it for 2.5 years now. Manufactured in 11/07). I also am sending them a picture of my older DD's Frontier 85 that we bought last summer. Just fuzzing, not yet fraying, but while it's under warranty, I want to know if it's ok or not!

egankn · July 2011

We had the same thing happen to DD's Boulevard and it was past the 1 yr warranty. I believe I talked to Amanda in customer service, she said to e-mail them pictures and they sent me a new one for free. Hope that helps!

Kingston54 · July 2011

After seeing the pics, it's fuzzing not fraying... Not yet anyway - and after just 3 months I'd hate to see it at a year. Thanks for all the replies, I'm hoping when they get back to me, they are willing to replace it.

SuperCuteBenz · July 2011

*Kingston*:
After seeing the pics, it's fuzzing not fraying... Not yet anyway - and after just 3 months I'd hate to see it at a year. Thanks for all the replies, I'm hoping when they get back to me, they are willing to replace it.

I have 3 seats and all but one are fuzzing. It is because you can't pull the strap out straight when it is rear-facing. You end up pulling up on it, which causes the fuzzing.

PSA though... don't wash your straps like the pp mentioned. That is not recommended for any seat.

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Pull strap on Britax fraying???

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