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Having some issues with our new Radian

567 views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  MandyLou 
#1 ·
We went to a car seat check on Saturday and they installed our new Radian in our 2002 Nissan Pathfinder. It is installed forward facing.

The techs said they had never seen a radian before, but said it seemed like a nice seat.

They installed it outboard on the passenger side and didn't seem to indicate any issue getting a good install.

Issue #1: I have a hard time tightening the straps enough. When I pull the strap to tighten it, it made the whole car seat move. Prior to that, the car seat didn't budge. The tech didn't seem concerned but I was. The next time we used the car seat, the same thing happened. It seems impossible for me to tighten the strap any further and when I try, the whole seat moves. Now, I can move the seat around IMO quite a bit, and I think it probably shouldn't move that much. We've only used the seat 4 days since the car seat techs installed it. Every time I pull the strap to tighten it beyond a certain point, the whole bottom of the car seat moves, and now it also moves a bit side to side as well. I'm going to take it to another car seat check and see what they have to say, but wondering if anyone else has had trouble being able to tighten the straps? It's not safe for it to move like that is it? Any tips?

Issue #2: dd is really a thin kid, but the straps at the neck seem really close together as in I know it would irritate my neck even though she hasn't said anything.... Shouldn't the straps be over the shoulders and less on the neck?

Issue #3: This seat is very upright (forward facing), and dd fell asleep in the car. The seat doesn't have any support for her head when she is sleeping, so her head/neck is bent right down in a way that seems to me to be very uncomfortable. So much so that her chin ends up down on the chest clip (leaving indentations on her chin from the chest clip. Is this normal with the radian? or is there some way around that?

I thought we would really like the radian, and had thought about buying another, but now I am not so sure...
 
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#4 ·
Dad blast it! I posted a long reply to this this morning and evidently it went into the purgatory of MDC, cause it ain't here
:

Ok short version: It sounds like they gave you a bad install. If the top tether is properly installed, you shouldn't have any movement at the top. There should be no more than one inch of movement at the belt path in a side to side motion.

As far as the harness goes, did it get hung up on the plastic in the back, at the splitter?

The straps...ugh...Sunshine Kids' is SO proud of that design, too. The closer straps help to reduce head excursion in an accident, but unfortunately just don't fit well on older toddlers and children. Make sure to use the comfort pads...it keeps their necks from getting scratched up.

If your dd is under 33 lbs, you could turn it rearfacing, which will reduce the head slouch factor. The Radian is a very upright seat forward facing.
 
#5 ·
We have had our radian 65 for about a week now. However, ours is installed using the latch system so I may not be very much help there. I'd definitely take it to another inspector because it should not be moving that much. When I tighten the straps, the seat doesn't move at all. I have read things on other boards that indicate the radian is not always easy to install with a seatbelt but I don't have any experience with it - sorry.

I agree, the harness straps are close together but it doesn't seem to bother DS. I just always make sure the pads are in the right place when I buckle him in.

So far, he's fallen asleep a couple of times but his head hasn't fallen forward yet. He typically falls to the left or right, and he seems pretty comfortable in the seat. I think he likes it more because it seems like a "big boy" seat versus the other convertible seats. And I love the higher weight/height limits on the radian with the harness. That plus the narrow design were my main reasons in purchasing it.
 
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