NHTSA complaint: BRITAX DIPLOMAT — CHILD SEAT:TETHER: STRAP/WEBBING
I PUT OUR BRITAX DIPLOMAT CAR SEAT IN MY WIFE'S FORD EXPLORER. I ATTACHED THE SEAT BELT AND THE EXTRA LONG STRAP THAT IS ATTACHED TO THE TOP OF THE CAR SEAT THAT GETS HOOKED TO A HOOK ON THE SEAT. THE EXCESS STRAP WAS HANGING OUT THE DOOR AND WE DID NOT REALIZE IT WHEN WE DROVE AWAY WITH OUR 2 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS IN THE SEAT. THE STRAP WAS DRAGGING ON THE GROUND AND GOT CAUGHT UNDER THE TIRE AND VIOLENTLY PULLED THE CAR SEAT TOWARDS THE DOOR, THEN THE STRAP BROKE. WE PULLED OVER AND FOUND THE CAR SEAT WAS BASICALLY LAYING SIDEWAYS ON THE BACK SEAT. OUR DAUGHTER WAS SCREAMING, AND WE THINK SHE MAY HAVE BEEN SMACKED INTO THE DOOR WHEN THE STRAP GOT PULLED UNDER THE TIRE AND YANKED THE CAR SEAT. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO IMMEDIATELY. MAYBE HAVE A SELF RETRACTING STRAP IN THE FUTURE, SO IT DOES NOT JUST HANG THERE (RELATED VEHICLE INFORMATION: MODEL YEAR=2009, MAKE=EXPLORER, MODEL=FORD). *TR
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation