Safe-n-Sound SafeFix
Verified1 review
Inaccessible harness adjustment lever – My main issue with this seat is that it's very difficult to loosen the harness because the harness adjustment lever is hidden below the fabric. It's especially difficult to access when the seat is in rear-facing mode. You have to squeeze your hand between the foot of this seat and the seat of the car, try to lift the fabric cover which is being pinched against the stabilising bar, then blindly feel around for the adjustment lever, then press it down in order to loosen the harness.
As with any baby car seat, it's necessary to loosen the harness when you want to remove the child, so why would you make it so difficult to perform this task? Is this a manufacturing defect or just a bad design because I'm not sure how it's legal to make a car seat like this. What if in an emergency situation I need to quickly remove the baby from the car but I'm struggling trying to access this hidden lever to loosen the harness?
Other Britax models have a button, like a similarly priced model I bought several years ago, so why doesn't this one include a button? Do we really need to pay another $200 just to get a button?
The main reason I bought this seat is because at $299 it seemed like the best price for a car seat that has ISOFIX. The price is good and the ISOFIX is good, but if I have to struggle to loosen the harness every time I need to remove the baby, then the seat is worthless to me. Hopefully I can still get a refund.
EDIT: My difficulty with accessing the harness adjustment lever to loosen the harness is because Britax changed the design from 2019 to 2020 and used a different, more difficult to use lever in 2020. The 2019 lever is close to the front of the seat and can be pulled up with fingers. The top of the 2020 lever is a few inches back from the front of the seat and you need to push it, making it exceedingly difficult to access from the front of the seat where the adjustment strap is.
I've taken a few photos to describe the problem here: https://imgur.com/a/T5jChmB . I've attached the same photos to this review. The 2019 model photos are from a demo model at Big W.
Purchased in at Big W for $299.
See the edit I've made to my review. I've taken a photo of the 2019 model lever and the 2020 model lever (which is the model I reviewed). See photos here: Images here: external link I've demonstrated what the issue is with the 2020 lever. You need a pull-up lever (as in the 2019 model) with this seat because a push-down lever (which is what the 2020 model has) requires access from the top of the seat (near where the crotch buckle is), but this seat does not have that access. Honestly you guys should pay me for the effort I've gone to document this issue.
Hi ScV, thanks for your update and photos. If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact us on 1300 303 330 or email this to au-support@britax.com
Thank you, kind regards, the Britax Childcare team.
No thanks, I've already returned the seat for a refund and bought a different one. I'm just letting you guys know about the problem so it's up to you what you do about it.
And on the subject of the customer service line, your representatives need to have more product knowledge. When I called the representative didn't seem to know much about this seat or the lever design, her only point of reference was a seat she'd previously owned. The only advice she gave me was if I'm unhappy with the seat I should try to get a refund by talking to Big W. I would've thought that customer service would have detailed information about all your products otherwise how are they going to provide useful information to us?
How is it that I, a random person, know that the lever design on this model changes from 2019 batches to 2020 but they don't know that?
Hi ScV, thanks for your feedback. We will pass this onto the relevant person to provide further training. In your review, you are comparing the design on two different Safe-n-Sound seats. As mentioned in my previous response, if you wish to discuss this further, please feel free to contact customer service on 1300 303 330 and ask for Alyssia. Have a lovely day.
The two seats that I compared were both Safe-n-Sound SafeFix seats. One was a demonstration model at Big W, which had a date of manufacture label reading 29-03-2019, the other was a new model in box, with a date of manufacture of 02-11-2020. The series ("bs0072e-i20133") and reorder codes were the same. So, no, I wasn't comparing two different models. If you're still unclear about what I'm describing, see the images of the manufacture labels that I posted here: external link
By the way, customer service at Big W assumed the same thing, that I was incorrect and that I was comparing two different models. Both the service assistant at Big W and I compared the manufacture labels and confirmed that the levers are different. We even opened the box of a second new model to confirm that it wasn't just a problem with the one I'd purchased.
Long story short: if the 2020-manufactured SafeFix seats had a pull-up lever like the 2019-manufactured demo SafeFix seat that I tested in-store, then I wouldn't have refunded the 2020 one I bought.
ProductReview.com.au has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence our content moderation policies in any way, though ProductReview.com.au may earn commissions for products/services purchased via affiliate links.
Hi ScV, thank you for taking the time to leave your review and valuable feedback. We're sorry to hear about your experience. The Britax Safe-n-Sound SafeFix is tested and approved to the Australian safety standards and many of our child restraints have been designed, tested and approved with the same harness lever mechanism. If you believe that your lever does not have the same amount of movement as it once did when you began using the seat, please feel free to email us au-support@britax.com Kind regards, the Britax Childcare team.