NHTSA compliance testing

[tjham]

I have seen the site on this but I really couldn't understand how to read it. Can someone post a link to it and some guidance to how to read the results? Thanks!

[Joolsplus2]

My links are all in my Gmail (did HP *really* have to re-image my hard drive when they fixed the backlight on my laptop screen? sheeeeesh! They totally killed my system!), drop me a line and I'll see what I can do about explaining what I can :)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[bensmom]

Here's the link: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/comply/fmvss213/213_2005.PDF

But I'll leave the explaining to Julie :)


Ilana

CPS Tech and mom

[tjham]

P-performance. I guess that means how well it works, right?
L-labeling. Would that be stickers on the seat telling you how to use it?
And I-inspection? What does that mean?

On the later pages, it seems hardly any seats have a Fail. Why would the Alpha Omega have a Fail for a 3 yr. old dummy and a Pass for a 6 yr. old dummy?

Is there a summary anywhere that just gives the pertinant details, like what seats failed anything that matters?

[Joolsplus2]

Well, you figured it out as well as I did (extra points for finding the typo that says the ComfortSport failed...it didn't). The 3 yo is harnessed, the 6 yo was using it as a booster, in the case of the AO...supposedly Cosco retested those failed seats and everything is now fine, but NHTSA is too lazy or something to update the page (doesn't that just totally increase your faith in our government agencies? sigh)

No, they really don't contract all that data down to a more palatable form...I printed mine out and highlighted things for easier reading, though.

It's *really* easy to fail the labeling requirements...they are completely specific as to what goes where and what color it is. Notice, ironically, that Britax follows the rules precisely, and yet when you read the NHTSA 'ease of use' ratings, they do rather poorly in the labeling grade (sorry, I lost that link too... I think it's easy to google). This indicates to *me* that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing... one government branch makes the rules, FMVSS 213, which you can look up, and then another branch within the same organization rates the perfect rule-followers poorly!

Ideally, NO seats should pass any of the dynamic testing, since seat makers are bound to only sell seats that pass, which is why it's disturbing to see any F's at all in that section. I really don't know what Cosco did to remedy their failure issue, but supposedly it's good enough for the government, just not good enough to change the official report (????).
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx