Car Seat Recommendation (Side Airbag concerns?) HCH II

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05-13-2006, 01:58 PM

mickster

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Car Seat Recommendation (Side Airbag concerns?) HCH II

Hi Folks,

We currently have the rather large Britax Boulevard car seat in our Acura. It is top-rated for safety and also is rather full-featured. It does require itself to be anchored on the back (it is a rear facing that converts to forward facing.) Our son is currently 9.5 months and is big. We will make it forward facing in late July.

We like Britax but I am afraid of mounting it on either side, passenger or driver's, but I am afraid of the side curtains hitting the seat in an impact.

Does anyone have any suggestions or is using a Britax, any model, in their HCH II? We're thinking about the Britax Marathon...

Thanks in advance,

Michael

05-14-2006, 07:34 AM

blinkard

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Re: Car Seat Recommendation (Side Airbag concerns?) HCH II

I'm no expert, but it doesn't look to me like they come down that far.

Also, they're not pushing inwards--like the side airbags--they're sliding down, if I'm reading this correctly (from Honda's site):

Quote:

Designed to deploy from the headliner, side curtain airbags help provide additional head- injury protection in the event of a significant side impact. The side curtain airbag is stored in a small compartment at each side of the headliner. A gas generator installed at the rear C-pillar supplies the inert gas necessary to inflate the bag through a channel along the side of the headliner affected. The airbag can fully deploy in approximately 20 milliseconds, creating a cushioning layer between the obstacle or vehicle's window and the passenger's head.

05-14-2006, 09:40 AM

mickster

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Re: Car Seat Recommendation (Side Airbag concerns?) HCH II

Thanks for the photo. That is a big help. I do realize they come down rather than out, however the Britax Boulevard car seat we currently have (and plan to use with whatever SUV we lease next, and currently use in our 2003 Acura TL-S) has Side Impact Protection which, based on this photo, would probably be hit by the deploying side curtain airbags, causing more harm than good. This is a real issue with car seats today and Honda does make some mention about the curtains.

Because of this, we will go buy a new seat for the car that we don't think will be intefered with on deployment (G-d forbid!).

And that picture below-I never hope to see!!

Thanks for the info,

Michael

Quote:

Originally Posted by blinkard

I'm no expert, but it doesn't look to me like they come down that far.

Also, they're not pushing inwards--like the side airbags--they're sliding down, if I'm reading this correctly (from Honda's site):

05-30-2006, 10:57 AM

soldierbot

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Re: Car Seat Recommendation (Side Airbag concerns?) HCH II

My little girl has a Britax marathon that is attached in the middle of the back seat. According to the hybrid manual, you can safely use any position in the back seat, including the center. I had the same concerns you expressed...the middle option offers a little more peace of mind.

05-30-2006, 07:55 PM

mickster

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Re: Car Seat Recommendation (Side Airbag concerns?) HCH II

Hi Soldierbot!

I actually ended up with the Britax Marathon in the middle of the back seat as well. I went to Buy Buy (Buy Buy and Buy some more) Baby to try it out and it fit great. We already have the Boulevard for our Acura TL and whatever car or SUV we get next (our lease ends on June 26).

As a nice side note, I realized at BuyBuyBaby that I had the Boulevard incorrectly installed (although safely installed) and corrected it.

Thanks for the advice-and I know it is good :-) My son loves to sleep in the back of the Civic! And the denim color looks great with the navy blue interior of the Civic Hybrid in Magnetic Pearl.