Here is some information from Britax on the voluntary recall of the Frontier:
Britax Frontier™ Harness-2-Booster [Recall]
Model Numbers: E9L54E7, E9L54H6, E9L54H7, and E9L54M6 (black harnesses)
Manufacture Dates: April 1, 2008 through September 14, 2008
Model Number: E9L5490 (beige harnesses)
Manufacture Dates: April 1, 2008 through September 17, 2008
Total of 31,492 seats included in the U.S.
To determine inclusion in recall – verify manufacture date:
Description of the Defect
If the harness straps are loosened one strap at a time with excessive force, then the harness straps may become loose or detached from the metal yoke located on the back of the child seat. If the harness strap becomes loose or detached then the condition can be corrected by inspecting the back of the child seat and reattaching the harness straps. If the harness straps are properly attached to the metal yoke then the child seat can continue to be safely used. Ensure that the harness has a comfortable but snug fit around the child.
What You Should Do
Britax is providing with this Notice a Recall Kit that contains two rubber caps which are to be placed over the ends of the slots in the metal yoke. The rubber caps will prevent the harness from detaching from the metal yoke and can be removed in the event that the seat is used in Booster mode or in order to remove the cover. An Instruction Sheet in the Recall Kit will provide specific instructions and photos to aid in installing the rubber caps. This modification involves removing an installed child seat, inspecting the harness/yoke attachment and installing the rubber caps which should take no more than ten minutes. These kits will begin mailing out the week of January 5, 2009.
Direction to consumers with product included:
If you have registered your child seat with Britax before the launch of this recall, by returning the registration card attached to the product or via our website, no action is needed. A Remedy Kit will automatically be sent to you via US Mail starting on January 7, 2009. You should receive it within 7-10 business days from January 7, 2009.
The problem can be resolved by simply attaching the rubber caps to the metal yoke on the back of your seat. Britax will mail you the rubber caps and detailed instructions for installing it. You can also find instructions on our website www.BritaxUSA.com or www.FrontierRecall.com.
Seats manufactured AFTER the September dates above have a row of stitching at the very end of the loop to stiffen it up. Therefore, seats manufactured after the September dates that include the implementation of that enhancement are not affected.
Have not received the kit and I registered for the recall 3 weeks ago. The strap did come loose once and I have not used the seat since. I am very disappointed with the Britax products. I also have a Marathon and my 3 year old is able to unbuckle himself from the seat!
Just found out about the recall because it happened to our car seat and so was looking up what could be wrong.
Our Frontier car seats have a manufacturing date of 10/27/08. When I went to the Britax website to register them today, a note came up that our car seats WERE included in the recall. They need to get their dates and website straight.
oh… btw… LOVE the new monsters… much better than the other faces.
that’s great they are taking care of it, but I honestly expected them to issue this sooner.
Woo-hoo! They finally decided to recall! I’ve heard of enough seats with problems I definitely think it was warranted.
Please note that the http://www.FrontierRecall.com may not be live until Monday.
Thank you
Here is the official press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kate Clark
Britax Child Safety, Inc.
(704) 409-1700
BRITAX ANNOUNCES VOLUNTARY SAFETY RECALL
– Remedy kit will be shipping no later than January 7, 2009 –
CHARLOTTE, NC (December 12, 2008) – Britax Child Safety, Inc. announced today that it is conducting a voluntary safety recall on the FrontierT combination Harness-2-BoosterT child restraints. The recall includes Frontier child restraints manufactured between April 1, 2008 and September 14, 2008 for Model #s E9L54E7, E9L54H6, E9L54H7 and E9L54M6 and between April 1, 2008 and September 17, 2008 on Model # E9L5490.
If the harness straps are repeatedly loosened one strap at a time, then the harness strap(s) may become detached from the metal yoke located on the back of the child seat. If the harness strap(s) becomes loose or detached then the condition can be corrected by inspecting the back of the child seat and reattaching the harness straps. If this condition occurs, the child may not be properly restrained, and in the event of a vehicle crash there could be an increased risk of injury.
To address this issue, Britax will provide two rubber caps that can be easily placed on the yoke slots to prevent the harness straps from detaching. The rubber caps have been specifically designed for the Frontier yoke to provide a secure fit and have been tested to verify their effectiveness.
No later than January 7, 2009, the rubber caps will be mailed with an instruction sheet to all registered Frontier child restraint owners with manufacturing dates prior to September 15 or 18, 2008. Additional caps will be made available to retailers with affected inventory of Frontiers manufactured prior to September 15 or 18, 2008. All Frontier child restraint owners should confirm whether their Frontier is affected by verifying the date of manufacture. Detailed instructions for locating this information can be found at http://www.FrontierRecall.com
Until consumers receive their remedy kit, they should confirm that their harness system is properly attached to the metal yoke and they may continue to safely use their child restraint.
Owners of the Frontier child restraint who have not registered their product or need to verify existing registration should contact the Britax information line, toll free at 1-800-683-2045 or visit http://www.FrontierRecall.com.
About Britax
Britax Child Safety Inc. is a leading child seat manufacturer. For more than three decades, it has been a pioneer in developing car seats that enhance safety. Britax’s full line of car seats offers side impact protection, and its True Side Impact ProtectionT family of products features the highest level of side impact protection available on the market.
Britax is the best-selling child seat in Europe and has become one of the most-trusted brands in North America by parents and caregivers since entering the market in 1996. Britax assembles its car seats in its Charlotte, N.C. factory, with many of the components coming from vendors within a 100-mile radius of Charlotte. For more information, visit http://www.britaxusa.com.
I have also tried numerous (hundreds) of repetitions as described by those who can reproduce the problem. I could never get mine to come loose. Clearly, it does happen. I wonder if it is specific to vehicles and/or the “technique” of parents and advocates who were able to see it happen.
Anyway, I agree. Kudos to Britax for issuing a voluntary recall, presumably with no reports of any injuries or fatalities. All in all, it really didn’t seem to take that long from the first reports, at least relative to many recalls that go for years.
I’m still using my Frontier. My review is here-
https://carseatblog.com/?p=32
YAY! Glad they are finally fixing it. This happened to mine and they even reproduced it on mine. I don’t own one anymore though, I thought they were cheapily made.
Kudos to Britax for taking care of this problem before anyone gets hurt. I’ve never had this problem on my seat (and I *tried* to get it to happen), but I will certainly be happy to put the new harness on as soon as I get it.
Thanks for posting this!