Cars and car seats can't be sold in the U.S. unless they can adequately protect occupants in a 30-mph frontal crash. But most cars are also tested in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) consumer information program in crashes at higher speeds, 35 mph for frontal crashes and 38-mph side crashes. Child car seats aren't.
Most of the infant seats failed when Consumer Reports crash-tested them at those higher speeds. The infant seats twisted violently or flew off their bases, in one case hurling a test dummy 30 feet across the lab. CR does, however, remind parents that any car seat is better than no seat at all.
All states and the District of Columbia require infants to be secured in car seats when traveling in passenger vehicles. Still, 572 infants under 1 year old were killed in traffic accidents from 2001 to 2005, with side crashes accounting for 151 of those deaths, or 26 percent, NHTSA data show.
Here are some highlights of CR's findings:
- Of 12 infant seats tested, only two performed well enough to be recommended by Consumer Reports: the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS.
- Nine infant seats provided poor protection in some or all of the tests, even though they meet the federal safety standard. One seat, the Evenflo Discovery, didn't even meet that standard. CR is urging federal officials to order a recall of that seat.
- Many infant seats sold in Europe undergo more rigorous testing than do models sold in the U.S. Indeed, when CR crash-tested an infant seat purchased in England, the Britax Cosy Tot, it was the best in the tests. An infant seat sold in the U.S. by the same manufacturer, the Companion, failed CU's tests.
- CR's findings offer added evidence of problems with LATCH, the federally-mandated attachment system for child car seats. Many car seats performed worse with LATCH than with vehicle safety belts. And LATCH attachments aren't always easy to use.
Consumer Reports' new tests are tougher
than the federal car-seat standard because a significant
performance gap exists between vehicles and the car seats they
carry.
"It's unconscionable that infant seats, which are designed to
protect the most vulnerable children, aren't routinely tested the
same as new cars," said Don Mays, senior director of Product
Safety & Consumer Science for Consumer Reports. Consumers Union,
the publisher of Consumer Reports, believes that the government
should bring the safety testing for car seats in line with tests
that are conducted on most new cars.
The federal New Car Assessment Program tests most cars and
minivans, some pickups and SUVs, in 35-mph frontal crashes and
38-mph side crashes. Scores in the form of "star" ratings are
widely publicized, and as a result carmakers have improved the
crash protection of vehicles. There has been no such incentive for
the makers of child car seats sold in the U.S.
In 2000, Congress mandated under the TREAD Act that NHTSA
establish a consumer information program for child car seats
incorporating ratings no later than November 2001. NHTSA concluded
that the most effective consumer information system is one that
gives the consumer a combination of information about ease of use
and dynamic performance through higher-speed crash-test sled
testing or an in-vehicle testing program. To date, NHTSA has not
started providing dynamic crash protection ratings for car seats
as part of its consumer information program. Currently, the
agency's car seat information program includes ease-of-use ratings
in the form of letter grades as well as tips and advice for
parents.
The infant seats evaluated by CR are rear-facing carriers that
snap in and out of a base. The base connects to the car by means
of the vehicle's safety belts or LATCH attachments. (LATCH, which
stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, includes belts
that hook the base to metal anchors in the car.)
Consumer Reports crash-tested multiple samples of each infant
seat. In some tests, CR used vehicle safety belts to secure the
base; in other tests CR used LATCH attachments. The tests mimic a
crash in a Ford Explorer SUV, a popular family vehicle. The Toyota
Camry sedan crumples similarly, especially in a side crash, so CR
would expect comparable results for some sedans.
CR used a test dummy weighing the maximum claimed weight for each
seat. That's 30 pounds for the Graco SafeSeat and 22 pounds for
the others.
In CR's 35-mph front-impact test, seven car seats failed. They
separated from their bases, rotated too far, or would have
inflicted grave injuries, as measured by CR's test dummy, whose
sensors record the severity of impact. CR retested these to see
whether they passed the 30-mph federal minimum standard. All
passed except the Evenflo Discovery.
When Consumer Reports performed side-impact tests at 38 mph, eight
models failed. Four of the seats flew out of their bases.
Three seats failed all of CR's more stringent crash tests: the
Evenflo Discovery, the Graco Safe Seat, and the Britax Companion,
formerly the top- rated seat based on earlier tests that mirrored
the federal standard. Most other tested seats passed either the
front- or side-crash test in some configuration, though only the
Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS passed every
test CR performed and therefore, garnered CR's recommendation.
Some Britax Companion seats were recalled in October because
carriers were assembled incorrectly; CR tested a later model. The
Evenflo Discovery, which CR is deeming Not Acceptable and believe
should be recalled, was the subject of a NHTSA investigation in
2004 after the agency received seven reports about the carrier
separating from its base. Evenflo received 52 reports, six
involving fatalities, NHTSA says. The agency could not identify a
safety defect and closed the investigation.
The Eddie Bauer Comfort infant seat also had problems,
specifically in the fit-to-vehicle test. CR's trained safety-seat
installers could not get one of two different bases supplied with
the seat to fit securely when tested in five different vehicles.
Because of that test result CR is judging the seat Not Acceptable
and wants the problematic base to be recalled. The seat also
performed poorly in the side-crash test when using the problematic
base. The car seat (also called the Caress Comfort) is being
discontinued though it is still being sold.
CR has learned that the manufacturer of the Eddie Bauer Comfort
will supply an improved base through a "customer satisfaction
program", but only to those consumers who know to complain to the
company about improper fit. CR is crash-testing the seat with the
better-fitting base. Results will be posted at
www.ConsumerReports.org.








2006
Child Safety Seat Ease of Use Ratings