CHILD CAR SEATS -- VOLVO GOT IT WRONG!!
Discussion
Hi,
I have recently purchased new VOLVO/BRITAX FIXWAY ISOFIX child’s car seat. I was told by the dealer that it was suitable for a newborn, I did research on the net and volvocars.co.uk, volvoclub.co.uk, britax.com, carpages.co.uk and many other sites all said: “Suitable for birth-18kg”. I still had my concerns as the seat just didn’t have all the features that 0+1 category seats have. It did not recline enough for a newborn to be comfortable, there was no removable internal cushion to support the baby. However when the dealer presented me with a user manual it clearly said: "The FixWay is suitable for use as a rear-facing car seat for children weighing between 0kg and 18kg when fitted to an outer back seat in accordance with ECE R44.03." ( I even remember saying to the chap that there are not many babies who weigh 0kg!) This information is provided on page 28 in 6 languages. There was no other information regarding the age/weight suitability in the user manual. There was no indication that it is not suitable for newborn babies. And the label on the side of the car seat itself said: 0-18kg. I bought the seat and drove my baby home. He was screaming so much that I had to stop half way and put him in the old seat where he fell asleep in a few seconds.
After looking at the seat I became convinced that the VOLVO got it wrong somewhere and that the seat is NOT suitable for a group 0 (birth-9mths). I have contacted their customer care department and after 10 days of exchanging emails they have finally admitted that they have GOT IT WRONG. All the marketing, seat labelling, the information in the car seat user manual is wrong – the seat is a group 1 and is only suitable from 9mths-4yrs.
Makes you think doesn’t it?? VOLVO who so many people trust to be one of the most particular manufacturer when it comes to safety makes such a fundamental mistake!
I absolutely hate experiences like this as it makes you suspicious of other people not doing their job properly and turns every purchase you about to make from a simple enjoyable experience into a research project.
Despite this seat is not being suitable for our needs for another 7 months or so, I am going to keep it as it is the only group 1 seat on the market that is rear facing for up to 18kg. According to VOLVO research rear facing seats should be used for as long as possible as they prevent many serious injuries in small children. Here is some information regarding this:
• Advice to parents: Let children travel facing the rear as long as possible.
Britax seats complement Volvo’s range of rear-facing child seats. According to Volvo, sitting in a rear-facing seat is the safest means of transport for a child.
”We have studied nearly four thousand children who have been involved in accidents,” says Lotta Jakobsson, a traffic safety researcher at Volvo’s Accident Research Commission. And it is clear, according to Volvo Car’s research findings, that a rear-facing child seat contributes dramatically to reducing the risk of serious injuries to the child. Rear-facing seats have an injury-reducing effect of up to 90 percent (when compared to unrestrained children).
The purpose of a rear-facing child seat is to provide support for the head and the entire spinal column in a frontal collision. In other words, the collision forces are distributed over a larger part of the body.
”This is important since a small child has an anatomy that cannot withstand a great amount of force,” says Lotta Jakobsson. The head is large and heavy in proportion to the rest of the child’s body. A new-born baby’s head is half of its body weight. The neck is not sufficiently developed and is not strong enough for excessive loads in a frontal collision if the child is sitting in a forward-facing position.”
Crash tested in Volvo cars
One of the Britax seats in question has received a top rating in 2005’s comprehensive European consumer test of child seats (the other seat was not tested). The test was conducted in cooperation between European automobile clubs and user organisations.
In addition to this, and to Britax’s own testing, the seats have been fitted in Volvo cars and subjected to full-scale crash tests, after which they were assessed according to Volvo’s own rigorous safety standards. The tests included frontal collisions, and impacts from the rear and side.
“We wouldn't sell a child seat that did not meet our own safety requirements,” says Ingrid Skogsmo, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “However, the test results mean that we can recommend these child seats from Britax to Volvo customers with a clear conscience. They are an excellent complement to our own range of child safety products.”
ISOFIX seats can be fitted quickly and correctly
Child seats can sometimes be difficult to fit correctly. The solution is ISOFIX anchorages, which significantly reduce the risk of fitting a child seat incorrectly. ISOFIX anchorages can be specified when ordering a new Volvo car or they can be fitted afterwards.
The seats can be fitted in either the car’s rear seat or in the front passenger seat. The child seat may only be fitted in the front passenger seat if the car is not equipped with a front passenger airbag, if the airbag has been disabled by an authorised workshop, or if the airbag has been disabled by activating Volvo’s Passenger Airbag Cut-Off Switch.
ISOFIX base – a convenient base for quick and correct fitting. These Britax seats are fitted with the help of Britax’s specially designed base-plate. It can be used on both seats. It makes it very easy to fit the seat correctly. The ISOFIX base is first fitted in the car’s ISOFIX anchorages. Easy to see green markers show when the base is correctly fitted. The child seat is then attached to the base-plate. When the seat clicks into place in the base-plate, this is indicated by a green marker. In order to ensure sturdy installation, the ISOFIX base is equipped with a supporting leg that rests against the car floor, as well as a support plate resting against the car seat’s backrest.
Baby-Safe Plus ISOFIX – an infant seat (ECE R44 group 0+). It has an integrated, adjustable head support with cushioning sides that are designed to protect the child in collisions from the front or side. It can be adjusted to seven height positions as the child grows. A five-point harness with convenient one-hand adjustment makes it easy to snugly secure the child. Baby-Safe Plus ISOFIX is marked with ASIS – Advanced Side Impact System – which means that the seat has been specially tested with respect to extra protection in a side impact. As an alternative, Baby-Safe Plus ISOFIX can be used without the ISOFIX base and be secured using the car’s seat belts.
Fixway ISOFIX – a rear-facing child seat for older children, from about 9 months to 3-4 years (ECE R44 group 1). It has extra large side supports for the child’s head. The seat can be reclined to four different positions for the best possible comfort. This seat also has a five-point harness with one-hand adjustment. The shoulder belt can be attached at four different levels. The seat is marked with ASIS – Advanced Side Impact System.
Volvo Cars expects the new Britax child seats to be available at the dealers during the autumn of 2005. Volvo would also like to point out one cause of unnecessary injuries to children in cars.
“Our research findings show that the risk of injury increases when a forward-facing protection system is used for small children,” says Lotta Jakobsson. “Therefore, we advise all parents to let their children sit in rear-facing seats for as long as possible, at least until they are 3-4 years old.”
Source: Volvo
The above info is from: www.autospectator.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2544
I have recently purchased new VOLVO/BRITAX FIXWAY ISOFIX child’s car seat. I was told by the dealer that it was suitable for a newborn, I did research on the net and volvocars.co.uk, volvoclub.co.uk, britax.com, carpages.co.uk and many other sites all said: “Suitable for birth-18kg”. I still had my concerns as the seat just didn’t have all the features that 0+1 category seats have. It did not recline enough for a newborn to be comfortable, there was no removable internal cushion to support the baby. However when the dealer presented me with a user manual it clearly said: "The FixWay is suitable for use as a rear-facing car seat for children weighing between 0kg and 18kg when fitted to an outer back seat in accordance with ECE R44.03." ( I even remember saying to the chap that there are not many babies who weigh 0kg!) This information is provided on page 28 in 6 languages. There was no other information regarding the age/weight suitability in the user manual. There was no indication that it is not suitable for newborn babies. And the label on the side of the car seat itself said: 0-18kg. I bought the seat and drove my baby home. He was screaming so much that I had to stop half way and put him in the old seat where he fell asleep in a few seconds.
After looking at the seat I became convinced that the VOLVO got it wrong somewhere and that the seat is NOT suitable for a group 0 (birth-9mths). I have contacted their customer care department and after 10 days of exchanging emails they have finally admitted that they have GOT IT WRONG. All the marketing, seat labelling, the information in the car seat user manual is wrong – the seat is a group 1 and is only suitable from 9mths-4yrs.
Makes you think doesn’t it?? VOLVO who so many people trust to be one of the most particular manufacturer when it comes to safety makes such a fundamental mistake!
I absolutely hate experiences like this as it makes you suspicious of other people not doing their job properly and turns every purchase you about to make from a simple enjoyable experience into a research project.
Despite this seat is not being suitable for our needs for another 7 months or so, I am going to keep it as it is the only group 1 seat on the market that is rear facing for up to 18kg. According to VOLVO research rear facing seats should be used for as long as possible as they prevent many serious injuries in small children. Here is some information regarding this:
• Advice to parents: Let children travel facing the rear as long as possible.
Britax seats complement Volvo’s range of rear-facing child seats. According to Volvo, sitting in a rear-facing seat is the safest means of transport for a child.
”We have studied nearly four thousand children who have been involved in accidents,” says Lotta Jakobsson, a traffic safety researcher at Volvo’s Accident Research Commission. And it is clear, according to Volvo Car’s research findings, that a rear-facing child seat contributes dramatically to reducing the risk of serious injuries to the child. Rear-facing seats have an injury-reducing effect of up to 90 percent (when compared to unrestrained children).
The purpose of a rear-facing child seat is to provide support for the head and the entire spinal column in a frontal collision. In other words, the collision forces are distributed over a larger part of the body.
”This is important since a small child has an anatomy that cannot withstand a great amount of force,” says Lotta Jakobsson. The head is large and heavy in proportion to the rest of the child’s body. A new-born baby’s head is half of its body weight. The neck is not sufficiently developed and is not strong enough for excessive loads in a frontal collision if the child is sitting in a forward-facing position.”
Crash tested in Volvo cars
One of the Britax seats in question has received a top rating in 2005’s comprehensive European consumer test of child seats (the other seat was not tested). The test was conducted in cooperation between European automobile clubs and user organisations.
In addition to this, and to Britax’s own testing, the seats have been fitted in Volvo cars and subjected to full-scale crash tests, after which they were assessed according to Volvo’s own rigorous safety standards. The tests included frontal collisions, and impacts from the rear and side.
“We wouldn't sell a child seat that did not meet our own safety requirements,” says Ingrid Skogsmo, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “However, the test results mean that we can recommend these child seats from Britax to Volvo customers with a clear conscience. They are an excellent complement to our own range of child safety products.”
ISOFIX seats can be fitted quickly and correctly
Child seats can sometimes be difficult to fit correctly. The solution is ISOFIX anchorages, which significantly reduce the risk of fitting a child seat incorrectly. ISOFIX anchorages can be specified when ordering a new Volvo car or they can be fitted afterwards.
The seats can be fitted in either the car’s rear seat or in the front passenger seat. The child seat may only be fitted in the front passenger seat if the car is not equipped with a front passenger airbag, if the airbag has been disabled by an authorised workshop, or if the airbag has been disabled by activating Volvo’s Passenger Airbag Cut-Off Switch.
ISOFIX base – a convenient base for quick and correct fitting. These Britax seats are fitted with the help of Britax’s specially designed base-plate. It can be used on both seats. It makes it very easy to fit the seat correctly. The ISOFIX base is first fitted in the car’s ISOFIX anchorages. Easy to see green markers show when the base is correctly fitted. The child seat is then attached to the base-plate. When the seat clicks into place in the base-plate, this is indicated by a green marker. In order to ensure sturdy installation, the ISOFIX base is equipped with a supporting leg that rests against the car floor, as well as a support plate resting against the car seat’s backrest.
Baby-Safe Plus ISOFIX – an infant seat (ECE R44 group 0+). It has an integrated, adjustable head support with cushioning sides that are designed to protect the child in collisions from the front or side. It can be adjusted to seven height positions as the child grows. A five-point harness with convenient one-hand adjustment makes it easy to snugly secure the child. Baby-Safe Plus ISOFIX is marked with ASIS – Advanced Side Impact System – which means that the seat has been specially tested with respect to extra protection in a side impact. As an alternative, Baby-Safe Plus ISOFIX can be used without the ISOFIX base and be secured using the car’s seat belts.
Fixway ISOFIX – a rear-facing child seat for older children, from about 9 months to 3-4 years (ECE R44 group 1). It has extra large side supports for the child’s head. The seat can be reclined to four different positions for the best possible comfort. This seat also has a five-point harness with one-hand adjustment. The shoulder belt can be attached at four different levels. The seat is marked with ASIS – Advanced Side Impact System.
Volvo Cars expects the new Britax child seats to be available at the dealers during the autumn of 2005. Volvo would also like to point out one cause of unnecessary injuries to children in cars.
“Our research findings show that the risk of injury increases when a forward-facing protection system is used for small children,” says Lotta Jakobsson. “Therefore, we advise all parents to let their children sit in rear-facing seats for as long as possible, at least until they are 3-4 years old.”
Source: Volvo
The above info is from: www.autospectator.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2544
This seat was developed in partnership between VOLVO and BRITAX. I don't know who is responsible for the marketing, but they both promote it on their sites as suitable for the age group for which it wasn't designed (Britax for some reason don't have volvo page available at the moment, but they do advertise it in other languages, see britax.com). Also the manufacturer (I assume it is BRITAX) got the wrong labeling on the seats and info in the manual wrong, so they both are to blame.
>> Edited by lubasha on Saturday 27th May 17:52
>> Edited by lubasha on Saturday 27th May 17:52
Don't make a fuss out of this just because you're poorly informed. Just because you're kid is screaming doesn't matter there is something wrong with your seat. Small kids scream at times for reasons we have no idea of. Also, quit ripping Volvo, the company who have done more about child safety in cars than any other manufacturer.
Your Britax Fixway is APPROVED 0-18 kg which means it is safe to use it from day 1. SAying the seat is suitable 9 months to 4 years is complete BS. Your child might not like it but that's another story. If you did you research you would have found kids are more comfortable in an infant seat the first few months. It's not any safer but usually more practical.
It's really pathetic to see you rip Volvo for some fairytale story about the seat not being approved. BRITAX FIXWAY IS APPROVED FROM 0-18 KG. This can be confirmed by anyone who has a clue. Why don't yo just Google it like you should have done from the beginning? Please get your facts straight before you flame a manufacturer who is helping to keep your (screaming) child safe. Isn't nice to blame poor research by yourself on other people??!!
Your Britax Fixway is APPROVED 0-18 kg which means it is safe to use it from day 1. SAying the seat is suitable 9 months to 4 years is complete BS. Your child might not like it but that's another story. If you did you research you would have found kids are more comfortable in an infant seat the first few months. It's not any safer but usually more practical.
It's really pathetic to see you rip Volvo for some fairytale story about the seat not being approved. BRITAX FIXWAY IS APPROVED FROM 0-18 KG. This can be confirmed by anyone who has a clue. Why don't yo just Google it like you should have done from the beginning? Please get your facts straight before you flame a manufacturer who is helping to keep your (screaming) child safe. Isn't nice to blame poor research by yourself on other people??!!
Sorry but Volvo hasnt got it wrong. I dont think that you have been fully informed about Isofix. the safety standards of Volvo ie seat beats, isofix and other safety innovations etc etc has resulted in only 5 child deaths in the last 50 years in Sweden. In fact, my husband and child's lives were saved in a rear ended accident as a result of Volvo's car safety mechanisms two years ago....and that's why we drive Volvos.
bronnie said:
Sorry but Volvo hasnt got it wrong. I dont think that you have been fully informed about Isofix. the safety standards of Volvo ie seat beats, isofix and other safety innovations etc etc has resulted in only 5 child deaths in the last 50 years in Sweden. In fact, my husband and child's lives were saved in a rear ended accident as a result of Volvo's car safety mechanisms two years ago....and that's why we drive Volvos.
Lets not forget where it came from & the hard work we put in to get it to work. 
Think you will find it was the "child seat" questions/comments that attracted us both. Could have been a Lada forum for all i care, i still would have given advice about child seats. 
Top of the section you say?
Just show's you how popular "Volvo's" are then!
Top of the section you say?
Just show's you how popular "Volvo's" are then!
Edited by boobles on Wednesday 31st March 08:15
shows how reliable they are! 
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