In general, I’m really not a fan of “Best” and “Worst” lists. We all have opinions on what we love and what we can’t stand and just because I don’t care for something doesn’t mean you won’t love it. I’ve also been around this field long enough to have some perspective on the issues. I can clearly recall the not-so-good-ol’-days when there was a lot more to hate in the wonderful world of child restraints. Things like shield boosters and rear-facing convertible seats that only went to 22 lbs and forward-facing seats with rear harness adjusters (you actually had to uninstall the seat just to tighten and loosen the harness straps – insane, huh?) And seats that were literally impossible to install correctly in almost any vehicle with straps so twisty that they looked like ropes after just a few months of use and there was very little that could be done to stop the process or correct it.
Point is, there’s a lot less to truly hate nowadays. But there are still some legitimate poor choices currently available for purchase on store shelves right now. Many are designs that have been around for a decade or longer but still manage to sell for various reason (price, styling, cute covers). These seats are all throw-backs to the past and there are definitely much better options currently available in each category. Of course any child restraint is better than nothing at all, but if you’re shopping for something new, you’d be doing yourself a favor if you bought something that wasn’t on this list.
Here are my nominations for the Worst Carseats of 2010:
Worst Infant Carseat:
Evenflo Discovery – what’s to dislike? Well, just about everything. The only thing this seat has going for it is that it’s cheap and it doesn’t weigh much. At least they finally stopped making the dreaded 3-pt harness version. I guess we should be thankful for that much.
- Rear-harness adjuster
- Difficult process to move harness straps to different slot heights
- Handle must always be down in the car which requires an extra step & takes up more room
- Base isn’t adjustible which makes it likely that you’ll need to add a rolled up towel or a piece of pool noodle to get the correct recline angle in the vehicle
- Versions of this seat have been around since 1998! I’m all for “retro” but when it comes to a safety product that has to save my child’s life under the worst possible circumstances – I don’t want engineering designs from the 90’s. It’s time for the Discovery mold to be retired – permanently.
Worst Convertible Carseat:
Graco ComfortSport – another relic in the world of child restraints. The ComfortSport represents an interesting contradiction to most everything else in the current Graco lineup. It’s so dated compared to all the great new CRs that Graco has come out with in the last 5 years. But with 10 (yes, ten!) different cover options and a price tag of around $80-$90 (which is still way overpriced for what you’re getting) this profitable fossil will probably live on forever.
- Only convertible seat currently rated to only 30 lbs in the rear-facing position
- Top harness slots so low that toddlers frequently outgrow this seat in the forward-facing position before they technically outgrow it in the rear-facing position
- Often difficult to adjust the harness straps when the seat is installed rear-facing
- Strange weight restrictions on middle harness strap slot usage when seat is installed in the forward-facing position
- Versions of this seat have been around since 1999! This seat was originally the Century Accel and when Graco bought out Century in the early 2000’s – they inherited this product. They renamed it the Graco ComfortSport and it’s lived on as such, with only minor updates, ever since.
Worst Combination Booster Seats:
In this category, there were so many poor choices that I couldn’t narrow it down to just one. But they all came from a single parent company – Dorel Juvenile Group. It’s not even worth my time to go into everything I dislike about each and every one of these seats. Suffice to say that they all meet the same criteria for my “Worst” picks. The cons far outweigh any pros. None of these seats are better than average when used with the 5-pt harness (mostly due to low top harness slot heights and 40 lb weight maximums) and they generally do a very poor job of positioning the seatbelt properly on a child when used in booster mode. Also, with only one exception, the designs are all about 10 years old. Thankfully, there are much better choices currently available in this category.
Cosco Summit/Safety 1st Summit/ Eddie Bauer Deluxe Highback Booster (2001)
Cosco Highback Booster with 5-pt harness (1999)
Cosco Vantage Point/ Safety 1st Vantage (2001)
Safety 1st Prospect / Eddie Bauer Adjustable Highback Booster (2008 – what was the excuse here?)
Really, nothing that I’ve pointed out here is “news”. But for various reasons, the seats nominated for worst in their category still continue to sell well enough, year after year, for the manufacturer to justify keeping them around. The problem is a vicious cycle. The buyers for big-box stores like Walmart/Target/Kmart want to keep prices as low as possible so they keep ordering the least expensive options that child restraint manufacturers offer them. CR Manufacturers are terrified of losing their precious “shelf space” in what is a VERY competitive market so they keep offering what they know these buyers want. Since big-box budget stores like Walmart & Kmart & Target sell huge quantities of child restraints – the less expensive seats on the shelves are almost guaranteed to sell well. And since CR Manufacturers are in business (just like any other business) to make money there is little incentive for them to retire an outdated product that continues to be profitable. Now, if those old product designs ceased to be profitable, the manufacturers would drop them faster than you can regift a fruitcake.
Perhaps we should petition NHTSA to mandate that their Ease-of-Use Ratings be clearly posted on the shelf tag right next to the price. This would be somewhat similar to the star safety rating that is required to be posted on the sticker of a new vehicle at the dealership. While far from ideal, at least it would give the consumer some type of comparative information on which to base their carseat purchase decision. I can’t help but wonder how many parents would still buy the Evenflo Discovery if they saw a 2-Star NHTSA Ease-of-Use Rating posted right next to the $54 price tag at Walmart?
For a listing of some better choices in each category, and in a variety of price ranges, check out our Recommended Carseats page.
Hi there moms! I wanted to mention that i spent most of my 5th pregnancy researching carseats and strollers. I found that most carseats had something said about them that was a deal breaker for safety. The winner for me is the Clek Foonf. It is the most expensive carseat out there for sure at $450 but in my eyes it was well worth every penny. I absolutely love it. There are several colors to choose from and being a mother of 6 girls, i have practically tried every kind of carseat out there. I will be purchasing a second clek soon for my 6th baby. And yes thats SIX KIDS.
I have to mention that I agree, Louis your child would be so much safer rear facing. You also might not have this problem RF.
In the past month, I have sent back 2 evenflo car seats with defective harness adjusters. I made a video and brought their attention to this as it’s a very serious issue. Try buckling the seat as if there is a child in it, tighten it up by pulling the strap. Now pull up gently on the harness by where the legs would be. If it loosens it’s a serious issue and I’d rather have your baby Ff in a cosco than RF in that thing.
I agree to call Evenflo and they should send you a free replacement.
Louis, I totally agree with Kecia–your Symphony shouldn’t be doing that. Contact Evenflo at http://www.evenflo.com and file a defect complaint at http://www.safercar.gov (there’s a link in the upper right corner). Honestly, though, Evenflo likely won’t do anything for you since you’re outside their 60 or 90 day warranty period. If you don’t want to rear-face your dd, you might want to consider the Graco Nautilus or Britax Frontier 85.
Louis – I totally agree that it’s all subjective and I tried to make those very points in my opening paragraph. For the record, I dislike the Cosco HBB with harness because compared to other combo seats currently on the market it’s a relic (quickly outgrown by height, 40 lb weight limit for the 5-pt harness, lacks additional SIP, and generally does a poor job of positioning the seatbelt when used as a booster.) But that doesn’t mean the seat is without merits or that it’s not a safe carseat for your child right now (although at 2 years old and 25 lbs I have to point out that she could easily still be rear-facing in a convertible seat). I am also very concerned about your Symphony since it sounds like it might be defective. Did you contact Evenflo yet? If they think it might be defective also – please report the problem to NHTSA as well. Good luck!
My My, how everything is so subjective…
I bought an Evenflo Symphony ($200) based on excellent reviews and good ratings. At first it was OK but my daughter is now 2 1/2 years old and 25 Lbs. The infinite ratcheting system for the shoulder belts is an absolute failure. With just a slight wiggle of her shoulders (even when properly tightened by the cinch strap and at correct height for her shoulders, and with the plastic cross piece across her chest), the ratcheting system falls down, the plastic chest piece slides down super easy and she takes her arms out of the belts. A couple times I’ve turned around to see her and I’m horrified to see her sitting upright and held only by the lap and crotch belts! In the city I can stop and re-belt her again but that is impossible in a freeway, when you need the restraint protection the most! I’m trying to find out if there is a recall on this or how to complain to the factory. Every time I take my kid out, the belts flop down to the bottom position so the next time I have to put her in I have to re-adjust the ratchet system, what a pain. On top of that, the angle adjusting base is too tall and reduces the headroom a lot when you’re trying to squeeze your kid in and out (even when installed in medium sized cars like my BMW X3 SUV and Nissam Xterra), so you have to be careful no to bump your kid’s head on the edge of the door opening. Even the bottle holder rattles in the closed position while driving!
In my other car I have one of your “worst seats” the Cosco highback booster seat in black ($40 at Walmart). IT WORKS PERFECTLY, the straps do not loosen, no dumb ratcheting system to fail, gives more headroom space (even in the cramped rear seat of a Camaro), its lightweight, easy to put on and off, and easier to adjust than the 4 1/2 times more expensive, bulky and heavy Evenflo. If I can’t find a fix or replacement of the belt system for the Evenflo Symphony, its going to the trash and there will be Cosco highback Booster seats in all my cars.
Don’t trust this lists, tests done with dummies that don’t move will always be wrong and look nice in the pictures.
We just bought new car seats for our toddler a few months ago. I spent forever researching it. SO GLAD I didn’t see our two car seats show up on this list! I would have cried!
Eddie Bauer Car Seats ARE HORRIBLE. Never ever again will I purchase one. Every time I buck the belt it’s a struggle, the straps are not nearly long enough even when adjusted properly. I cannot believe they get away w/charging such a premium. I bought this thinking that paying more meant better quality but it just plain sucks. It leans fwd so much that if my daughter falls asleep her her bobs fwd and bobs around. I am about to get rid of it and buy a new one. I wouldn’t even want to give this away to someone.
In regards to the Comfort Sport, Graco doesn’t allow the top harness slots to be used with a rf’ing child either. This can be found in the section about placing child in restraint on page 20 of the manual that Jean linked above.
The top harness slots are quite a bit shorter on the comfort sport than on the scenera.
The one seat I’d add to this list is the Evenflo Chase for those early ff’ing kids. The length of the webbing between the adjuster and the shell is enough that a child small enough to still need the bottom slots often ends up with the adjuster sitting on their lap making it physically impossible to tighten the seat enough.
Of course we’d love to see those kids rf’ing still, but the fact is that lots of 20lb 1year olds use the Chase, and I’m sure it fits 75% of them horribly. It’s good for older kids, but not those young ff’ing kids.
It’s worth noting that the requirement for 1″ of carseat shell above the top of the child’s head for rear facing is included on Page 11 of the ComfortSport’s online manual circa 03/2009 at http://download.gracobaby.com/ProductInstructionManuals/PD106974A.pdf “IMPORTANT: This child restraint is certified for use rear-facing with children up to 30 lbs. (13.6 kg). However, some children approaching 30 lbs. may be too tall to fit comfortably rear-facing. Top of head must be at least 1” below the top of the child restraint.”
I think that the only time a parent’s choice of carseat should be jusdged is when their choice is no car seat at all. Properly installed, even the cheapest carseats are safe. Not everyone has obscene amounts of money to spend on a flashy carseat.
@ MELISSA44009
The ComfortSport manual clearly says that the seat is outgrown rear facing if the child’s shoulders go above the top slots. Page 7. Also, the CS does not have the one inch rule. The only difference in fit requirements are the weight limits.
I think it’s much more difficult to find seats these days to truly dislike because recent improvements have been made that make carseats safer and easier to use. Ease of use is a humongous factor in making sure carseats are used properly every ride. If a seat is based off the same mold as a seat from 10 or 12 years ago, where are the improvements (besides nicer covers)? Fortunately, we are all of free will and have the ability to make choices for ourselves, plus there’s our time-honored mantra–repeat after me: the best seat is the one that fits your vehicle, your *child*, and your budget.