BRITAX E9L06 (MARATHON) Complaints

THE SEAT DOESN'T LOCK IN THE UPRIGHT MODE WHICH IS REQUIRED FOR USE IN THE FORWARD FACING POSITION. WHEN WE FIRST BOUGHT THE SEAT 2 YEARS AGO IT DID LOCK IN THE UPRIGHT MODE BUT ITS BEEN IN THE REAR-FACING MODE UNTIL RECENTLY SO IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN THE RECLINE POSITION. WHEN WE MOVED IT TO FORWARD FACING, WE CANNOT GET IT TO LOCK IN UPRIGHT POSITION. I NOTICE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE FILED A SIMILAR COMPLAINT. WE ARE STILL USING SEAT IN FORWARD FACING POSITION AS WE ARE ABLE TO GET A VERY TIGHT FIT IN OUR CAR SO THAT THE SEAT WILL STAY UPRIGHT JUST BY THE TENSION CREATED WITH THE LATCH AND TETHER BUT I 'M CONCERNED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN A CRASH. I THINK BRITAX SHOULD REPLACE OR REPAIR THE SEAT DUE TO THIS DEFECT. I ALSO WANT TO NOTE THIS IS MY 2ND COMPLAINT ON MARATHON. I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO FILE A COMPLAINT CONCERNING THE EASE AT WHICH A CHILD CAN LOOSEN THE HARNESS ADJUSTER DUE TO ITS LOCATION (RIGHT BETWEEN HIS LEGS) AND HOW EASY IT IS TO OPERATE - LIFT LEVER AND LEAN FORWARD. MY SON HAS BEEN ABLE TO LOOSEN THE STRAPS WHILE I'M DRIVING & COMPLETELY FREE HIS ARMS FROM THE SEAT. ONCE, HE ALMOST CLIMBED COMPLETELY OUT OF THE SEAT! SINCE MY ORIGINAL COMPLAINT, I HAVE NOTED NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED BY OTHER CONSUMERS. WHEN I INITIALLY CONTACT BRITAX ABOUT THIS SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW THEIR RESPONSE WAS ITS THE PARENTS RESPONSIBILITY TO TEACH A CHILD "NO" AND WATCH HIM ALL THE TIME! THIS "FIX" IS EVEN ON THE BRITAX WEBSITE! HOW CAN YOU WATCH YOUR CHILD 100% OF THE TIME WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING? I BELIEVE IT IS THE CAR SEAT MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO DESIGN A CAR SEAT THAT ANY 1 1/2 TO 2 YEAR OLD CANNOT EASILY RELEASE HIMSELF. A PARENT WOULD BE BETTER OFF WATCHING THE ROAD THAN CHECKING EVERY 5 SECONDS TO SEE IF THEIR CHILD IS STILL STRAPPED IN. I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS ISSUE IS STILL ON-GOING AND NO INVESTIGATION OR RECALL IS IN PROGRESS. *JB

I BELIEVE THAT THE STRAPS USED TO ANCHOR CHILD CAR SEATS ARE TOO LONG. ABOUT A WEEK AGO AFTER MY WIFE HAD PUT THE CAR SEAT IN OUR TOYOTA ECHO, I NOTICED THE ANCHOR STRAP WAS HANGING OUT OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF THE REAR WHEEL. IF I HAD NOT NOTICED, MY WIFE WOULD HAVE DRIVEN OFF AND THE REAR WHEEL WOULD HAVE SURELY PULLED ON THE STRAP VIOLENTLY AFTER ROLLING OVER IT WHICH COULD HAVE INJURED MY DAUGHTER. THE STRAP IS SO LONG THAT I IMAGINE THAT IT COULD HAPPEN ON ALMOST ANY VEHICLE AND I HAVE A BRITAX MARATHON CAR SEAT. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *PM THANK YOU [XXX] . *NM

BRITAX MARATHON SEAT WOULD NOT STAND UP RIGHT. PLASTIC BAR WOULD NOT CLIP OVER METAL BAR TO SIT IT IN UPRIGHT POSITION. *TS *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE ADJUSTMENT STRAP TO THE HARNESS WAS TOO EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE CHILD IN THE SAFETY SEAT, ALLOWING THE HARNESS STRAPS TO BE LOOSENED. THE BASE WAS ALSO CRACKED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. MANUFACTURER: BRITAX, MODEL: MARATHON, MODEL #: E9L0677.*AK

I AM A CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY TECHNICIAN AND DURING THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, I'VE INSTALLED/INSPECTED SEVERAL BRITAX MARATHON SEATS THAT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE REAR FACING LOCKING CLIPS. WHEN INSTALLING THE SEAT WITH THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF TENSION THE VEHICLE'S SEAT BELT, THE LOCKING CLIP CLOSEST TO THE BUCKLE WILL NOT STAY LOCKED. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE CHILD WAS OBSERVED UNLATCHING THE LEVER AND LOOSENING THE ENTIRE HARNESS. THE SYSTEM USED TO SECURE THE SEAT WAS A LAP BELT COMBINATION FOR A FORWARD FACING CHILD SEAT. THE CONTACT ALERTED THE MANUFACTURER, BUT NO RESOLUTION WAS PROVIDED. MAKE: BRITAX, MODEL: MARATHON, MODEL#E9L0627, DOM: 05/12/05, *AK UPDATED 10/18/2006 - THE CONSUMER'S 21 MONTH OLD CHILD PULLED BACK ON THE STRAP WHICH CAUSED THE HARNESS RELEASE LEVER TO BE DEPRESSED. THE CHILD'S WEIGHT AGAINST THE HARNESS RELEASED THE HARNESS. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT BUCKLE BETWEEN THE LEGS DID NOT ALWAYS FASTEN INTO PLACE. ALSO, THE TETHER STRAP LOOSENED DURING A MINOR COLLISION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THIS WAS A BRITAX MARATHON, MANUFACTURED APRIL 28, 2006.

I HAVE A BRITAX MARATHON THAT I AM CURRENTLY USING REAR FACING WITH A 27 LB 3 YEAR OLD. MY VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE LOCKING SEAT BELTS THEREFORE I UTILIZED THE REAR FACING LOCK OFFS ON MY MARATHON. WHEN I PUT MY DAUGHTER IN HER SEAT THE LOCK OFF POPS OPEN EVERY SINGLE TIME. I HAVE TO STRAP MY DAUGHTER IN AND READJUST THE SEAT BELT AND RECONNECT THE LOCK OFF. THE FAILURE MAKES THE CARSEAT UNSAFE AS IT IS ROCKING AND SLIDING IN THE SEAT BECAUSE THE SEAT BELT IS NO LONGER TIGHT. IT NO LONGER HAS A ROCK SOLID INSTALL. I HAVE NOT YET CONTACTED BRITAX AS I LIVE OVERSEAS AND THE TIME CHANGE HAS MADE IT DIFFICULT. *NM

I AM A CERTIFIED CPS TECHNICIAN IN BEAVERTON, OREGON. OVER THE LAST YEAR OR SO I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE FOLLOWING: BRITAX MARATHON, DECATHALON, & BOULEVARD CHILD RESTRAINTS: WHEN INSTALLED IN THE REAR-FACING POSITION, THE BUILT-IN LOCK-OFFS FAIL TO STAY LOCKED IN MOST VEHICLES WHEN INSTALLING WITH LAP AND SHOULDER SAFETY BELTS. *JB

I RECENTLY PARTICIPATED AS A TECH AT A CHECK UP EVENT. I RAN INTO A PROBLEM WHEN I WAS TRYING TO INSTALL A BRITAX MARATHON REAR FACING. THE REAR FACING LOCK OFFS WOULD NOT STAY LOCKED. TO MY KNOWLEDGE BRITAX ADVISES AGAINST THE USE OF A LOCKING CLIP WHEN THERE ARE LOCK OFFS, AND WITH THE ENCLOSED BELT PATH I WAS UNABLE TO USE THE RETRACTOR AS THE LOCKING MECHANISM. THE PARENT WAS VERY FRUSTRATED THAT THEY HAD INVESTED SO MUCH MONEY IN A SEAT THAT DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. *NM