BRITAX E9L06 (MARATHON) Complaints

MY 1 YEAR OLD SON IS ABLE TO REACH THE HARNESS RELEASE BUTTON ON HIS BRITAX MARATHON CAR SEAT AND HAS MANAGED TO LOSEN HIS HARNESS ENOUGH TO ESCAPE THE CAR SEAT WHILE I AM DRIVING. I HAVE CALLED BRITAX SEVERAL TIMES AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THERE IS NOTHING THEY WILL DO TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. IF I AM DRIVING AND GET INTO AN ACCIDENT THE CAR SEAT MIGHT AS WELL NOT EVEN BE THERE IF HE HAS LOSENED THE HARNESS. I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ONLINE FROM OTHERS INDICATING THEIR CHILDREN WERE ALSO ABLE TO LOOSEN THEIR HARNESSES WHILE PARENTS ARE DRIVING. BRITAX ADMITTED TO ME THAT THEY ARE AWARE THIS IS AN ISSUE AND BECAUSE IT IS NOT A "MANUFATURER'S DEFECT" THEY HAVE NO PLANS TO REDESIGN THE CAR SEAT TO MAKE IT SAFER. IT IS NOT REALISTIC TO EXPECT A 1 YEAR OLD TO COMPLY WHEN YOU TELL HIM NOT TO LOOSEN THE HARNESS.THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND BRITAX SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO REDESIGN THEIR CAR SEATS SO THAT THE CHILD CANNOT RELEASE THEIR OWN HARNESS. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO LOSE A CHILD JUST TO PROVE THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.

BRITAX MARATHON CLICKTIGHT CHILD RESTRAINT SEAT BROKE WITHOUT CLEAR CAUSE. WAS INSTALLED REARFACING, NO COLLISION, NO CONSUMER FORCE. THE CLICKTIGHT MECHANISM WAS TILTED AND THE METAL SPRINGS WERE FULLY DETACHED FROM THE BARS THAT TURN TO RELEASE THE SEAT DURING INSTALLATION. IN A COLLISION, THE CHILD WOULD HAVE BEEN EJECTED WITH THE SEAT.

BOUGHT A BRITAX MARATHON XE E9LR31A BATCH: JOB0005290 MANUFACTURED 03/2014. I ATTACHED THE CAR SEAT PER THE DIRECTIONS ON THE MANUAL (REAR FACING) TO THE REAR CAPTAIN SEAT OF MY 2008 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. I USED THE VERSA TETHER LOCATED ON THE REAR OF THE CAR SEAT TO MAKE THE CAR SEAT MORE SECURE AND SECURED THE REMAINING PORTION WITH THE TETHER. THE REMAINING TETHER PORTION EVENTUALLY BECAME LOOSE AND UNKNOWINGLY BECAME LODGED IN THE RIGHT REAR DOOR WITH THE END STICKING OUTSIDE OF THE DOOR. WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET I HEARD A SOUND FROM THE RIGHT REAR OF THE VEHICLE AND IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AT WHICH TIME THE TETHER GOT CAUGHT UNDERNEATH THE RIGHT REAR TIRE AND PULLED THE CAR SEAT (WITH MY SON IN IT) TOWARDS THE DOOR AND ALMOST PHYSICALLY HURT MY SON AND ALMOST DAMAGED THE CAPTAIN SEAT OF MY VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY MY SON WAS ONLY SCARED BY THE SITUATION AND NO PHYSICAL HARM WAS DONE TO HIM. THE CAPTAIN SEAT OF THE VEHICLE WAS SAVED BY THE SEAT PROTECTOR THAT HAS AN EXTREME INDENTION ON IT FROM THE FORCE THAT WAS APPLIED BY THE WHEEL CATCHING THE TETHER. THERE ARE ALSO MARKS IN THE PAINT AND SCRATCHES ON THE LOWER END OF THE RIGHT REAR DOOR WHERE THE TETHER WAS LODGED. THE VERSA TETHER ON THE REAR OF THE SEAT IS DANGEROUSLY LONG AND I WOULD SUGGEST SOME SORT OF FEATURE TO REDUCE THE LENGTH WITH SOMETHING BESIDES THE ELASTIC STRAP OR PROVIDE SEPARATE SIZES. (RELATED VEHICLE INFORMATION: MODEL YEAR=2008, MAKE=TOYOTA, MODEL=SEQUOIA). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A BRITAX MARATHON CHILD SEAT, MANUFACTURED IN FEBRUARY 2007. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER LATCHING HER CHILD INTO THE SEAT AND BEGAN TO DRIVE, THE LATCH SLOWLY LOOSENED AND CAUSED THE CHILD TO BECOME UNSECURED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED. THE SEAT WAS NOT REPLACED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. (RELATED VEHICLE INFORMATION: MODEL YEAR=2003, MAKE=ODYSSEY, MODEL=HONDA)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A BRITAX MARATHON CHILD SAFETY SEAT, MODEL NUMBER: E9L06D5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN EMPTY HARNESS SLOT ON THE CHILD RESTRAINT, WHICH THE COVER WOULD GO THROUGH. THE CONTACT'S ONE YEAR OLD CHILD WOULD REACH DOWN AND PULL THE STUFFING OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THE SEAT, POSING A CHOKING HAZARD TO THE CHILD. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO STOP DRIVING AND REMOVE STUFFING FROM THE CHILD'S MOUTH. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE.

CPSC#I12A0401A. BRITAX MARATHON. CONSUMER STATED THE LOCK FAILED TO HOLD THE SEAT INTO THE CAR. *LN THE CONSUMER STATED SHE INSTALLED THE CAR SEAT USING THE BUILT-IN SEAT BELT LOCK OFF. AFTER SEVERAL DAYS, SHE NOTICED THE SEAT REAR TETHER NEEDED TO BE ADJUSTED. WHEN SHE CHECKED THE SEAT, SHE DISCOVERED THE CAR'S SEAT BELT SLIPPED THROUGH THE BUILT IN LOCK OFF. THE LOCK OFF FAILED TO HOLD THE SEAT INTO THE CAR. THE CAR'S BELT HAD MARK ON IT, FROM WHERE THE LOCK OFF WAS NOT ABLE TO HOLD ONTO IT AND LET GO. SHE REINSTALLED THE SEAT USING THE LOCKING MECHANISM OF THE BELT. BUT, WHEN SHE ARRIVED AT HER DESTINATION, IT FAILED AGAIN. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THE PART WAS KNOWN AS A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM. HOWEVER, THE CONSUMER STATED IT WAS HER FIRST TIME USING IT FOR MORE THAN A DAY. SERIAL # E9I0634030317

MISROUTING OF LEG STRAPS (DURING ASSEMBLY OF THE CAR SEAT IN THE FACTORY) SO THAT THEY WERE THROUGH THE LATCH BELT - INSTEAD OF THE LEG STRAPS AND LATCH BELT BEING SEPARATE. THIS RESULTED IN 1. INABILITY TO BRING LATCH STRAPS FULLY TO THE SIDE OF THE SEAT AS THEY NEED TO BE FOR PROPER INSTALLATION AND 2. THE LATCH STRAPS INTERFERING WITH PROPER ADJUSTMENT OF THE HARNESS ON THE CHILD'S BODY. I REMEDIED THIS PROBLEM BY DETACHING BOTH LEG STRAPS FROM THE SHELL OF THE SEAT AND REROUTING THEM AS THEY WERE MEANT TO BE (I.E. SEPARATE FROM THE LATCH BELT). INCIDENTALLY, AN IDENTICAL SEAT MANUFACTURED 11/2011 ALSO (2 SEATS WERE BOUGHT AS THE BABIES ARE TWINS) DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. SEAT: BRITAX MARATHON CLASSIC SERIAL#: E9LD4Q8030036 BATCH: J000032609 MADE: NOV 2011

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A BRITAX MARATHON MODEL E9L06P9, MANUFACTURED DATE 1/5/2009 CHILD SAFETY SEAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER SON WAS CHEWING LITTLE PIECES OF THE PADDING AND SPITTING THEM OUT. THE NAME OF THE PAD WAS TPE PADS OR HUGS (HARNESS ULTRA GUARD SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS CALLED AND THEY INFORMED HER THAT THEY WILL BE SENDING HER REPLACEMENT PADS BUT THEY WERE MADE OF THE SAME MATERIALS WHICH WAS NON-TOXIC.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BRITAX MARATHON CHILD SEAT, MODEL E9L06B9. THE SEAT WAS MANUFACTURED ON FEBRUARY 26, 2007. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RETAINER POSITIONING CLIP ON THE FRONT PORTION OF THE HARNESS SLIDES UP AND DOWN. AS A CONSEQUENCE, A CHILD IS ABLE TO MANIPULATE THE RETAINER CLIP IN A POSITION THAT WOULD ALLOW THE CHILD TO MOVE HIS OR HER ARMS OR EXIT THE SEAT. THIS INCREASES THE RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY IF THE CHILD IS NOT POSITIONED PROPERLY IN THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT. THE CHILD IS TWO AND A HALF YEARS OLD AND WEIGHS APPROXIMATELY 20 LBS. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT ASSIST. THE CONTACT STILL HAS POSSESSION OF THE SAFETY SEAT. THE PURCHASE DATE AND FAILURE TYPE WERE UNKNOWN.

I JUST PURCHASED A BRITAX MARATHON CARSEAT FROM BABIES R US IN WAPPINGERS FALLS/POUGHKEEPSIE NY. WHEN I GOT THE SEAT HOME I OPENED THE BOX AND WAS GETTING READY TO SET IT UP TO FIT MY 6 MONTH OLD SON AND PUT IT IN MY CAR. IT IS AT THIS TIME THAT I NOTICED THE "LATCH" BELTS WERE MISSING. I AM NOT SURE IF IT IS JUST THIS SEAT, I PLAN TO TAKE IT BACK TO GET ANOTHER ONE MONDAY, OR IF ALL THE ONES AT THE STORE HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I OWN ANOTHER ONE OF THIS EXACT SEAT FOR MY 2.5 YEAR OLD AND THIS IS HOW I CAUGHT THE PROBLEM. I HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANY RECALLS, BUT WOULD LIKE TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF THIS. THESE STRAPS ARE SEWN ONTO THE SEAT AND THEREFORE IT IS NOT JUST THAT SOMEONE REMOVED THEM FROM THE BOX. I HOPE THAT THERE ARE NOT OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE USING THIS SEAT WITHOUT THE PROPER LATCHES. AS I WAS LOOKING FOR THE INFORMATION ON THE SEAT, I WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE MODEL NUMBER, AND THE EXACT DATE OF MANUFACTURING. IT JUST SAY ON THE BOX (NOT THE SEAT) AUGUST 2008. THE SEAT IS THE BRITAX MARATHON PLATINUM. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME. (RELATED VEHICLE INFORMATION: MODEL YEAR=2006, MAKE=HONDA, MODEL=ODYSSEY). *TR