2008 Child Safety Seat Ease of Use Ratings

 

Are All Seats Safe?
All car seats rated by NHTSA meet Federal Safety Standards & strict crash performance standards. While all rated seats are safe, they do differ in their ease of use in four basic catagories:

 

Evaluation of Instructions

Vehicle Installation Features

Evaluation of Labels

Securing the Child

 

« Back to Ease-of-Use Ratings

Britax Marathon (FF)

 

Britax Marathon (FF)

 

Manufacturer  /  Model NameBritax Marathon (FF)
Model Number  /  Manufacture DateE9L0627  /  Jul 30, 2007
Harness Type5-pt
Weight  /  Height20-65lb/up to 49"
Evaluation of Labels1 stars
No picture of child properly restrained in seat. Tether is not labeled in illustrations. No indication of correct harness slot height is given. Labels do not explain the use of LATCH.
Evaluation of Instructions4 stars
Warning that the safest place is the rear seat is buried in a bulleted list. Manual storage cannot be accessed when the CRS is installed in this mode of use. Some additional sizing information is missing.
Securing the Child2 stars
The harness clip is not labeled with placement instructions. Harness must be rethread to adjust. Multiple actions are required to convert the seat to this mode of use; the caregiver must read the instructions. Loose parts are generated when disassembling for cleaning.
Installation Features4 stars
Lower attachments disconnect via push-button connectors. LATCH/Tether storage system is not sufficiently labeled.
Overall Ease of Use Rating3 stars

« Back to Ease-of-Use Ratings