Reviews for Britax Frontier toddler car seat

I was hesitant to purchase this seat after reading several reviews about difficult installations in Honda Odyssey vans. However, because I completely love and trust this brand and with EliteCarSeats $1 return shipping insurance, I felt I couldn't lose. Several reviewers had suggested viewing the installation video available on the Britax website prior to trying the install, so that's what I did. Using the instruction booklet and video combined I was able to achieve a secure fit in the second row captain's chair of our 2005 Honda Odyssey Touring using the long belt method. It took less than 30 minutes and I'm 7 months pregnant. My 3.5 year old loves his new comfy seat and his favorite parts are the arm rests and cup holders...just like mom and dad have. This is our second Britax product, and is replacing our Decathalon which will be passed down to our new baby. I love knowing that my toddler is safe and comfortable. Thank you EliteCarSeats for the fast 2 day delivery!

I've always been a Britax fan. I have the Marathon and Roundabout. Decided to upgrade my oldest from the Roundabout to the Frontier. I was a little worried because of the reviews about the installation being difficult. However, I received it last night, installed it this morning (20 minutes tops). I spent the first 15 minutes trying to install it and was unable to get a tight fit. I went to the Britax website and watched the installation video. It made it very clear. The trick is you must thread the LATCH strap through the harness opening and tighten the straps that way. It was so easy and after watching the video, it took me less than 5 minutes. I'm so glad I did not listen to the the reviewers who gave the Frontier a poor rating due to the installation. Read the manual, watch the video on the website and its easy.

My 2 yr old daughter is very happy with this seat. Very well padded for her. Installation instructions were well written. I have a Chevy Aveo which is a small car and took only 10 minutes to install.

We have had several Britax car seats over the years including the Roundabout and the Marathon and have been very pleased with the quality, safety, simplicity, and durability. The Frontier still ranks high on my quality and safety scale but not so much on the durability or simplicity scales. As others have said the installation can be tricky if you do not read the instructions. It turns out that the pull straps to tighten the seat actually pull through the seat so you grab them from the inside of the car seat rather than around the sides/back like most others. With that clarification aside, I think this is a great, safe seat, however I have not been pleased with the durability of the fabric. My other Britax seats have covers made of very durable fabric. The Frontier has portions of that but the central area where most of the wear and tear occurs is some sort of nylon weave. We have only had this seat a few months and there are already many pulls in the fabric from my daughter getting in and out of it. Also, as I recently learned when my little girl got sick in her seat, the removal and replacement of the car seat cover after cleaning is very complicated. There are multiple sections to the cover, including the headpiece which covers a loose piece of shock absorbing styrofoam that just falls out when the cover is off. When I went to replace the cover after cleaning it took me quite a while to get it all reassembled. Once it was reinstalled in the car I found the straps had been incorrectly relaced and I had to take it out again and try to fix it. This seat is much more complex than the others making it more of a hassle to maintain. Overall, I feel my daughter is very safe in it. I may look into other options for my son however mostly due to the cleaning aspect.

I almost didn't buy this seat and spent countless hours reviewing other seats because of mixed reviews. I am so glad I did. I really wanted the 5 pt harness for my 5 year old. I think that other reviewers expect this to work like their britax convertible car seats. It's a different type of seat. Latch installation is different, but not difficult to install. Lap belt installation with harness involves a little work. I would not recommend moving this regularly. The seat cover is removed differently than the marathon, etc, but it's not that difficult. The straps can get twisted- the straps are longer. I use the arm rests to secure them when my child isn't using the seat. I also love that seat can be secured with latch when in booster mode so you don't have to secure it with the seat with belt when child isn't in it. The only potential negative I found is the material. It's not typical plush britax- it's more like graco, etc. Also, harness has 53" height limit, so you may need to go to booster mode long before 80 lb weight limit is reached.

I am SO disappointed in this seat. We have had it for a year now (and we have been loyal Britax customers for the past 6 years.) We loved our Wizard, Boulevard and the infant Companion and I thought this would be a good purchase. For the amount of money one is spending on a seat, installation SHOULD NOT require multiple different methods, with special videos to watch, etc. and 30 minutes to get it right. We have managed a good install in ONE place in our 01 Odyssey and for some reason, cannot get it back to a solid install after having to remove the seat. (One of the things I loved about my other Britax seats was how easy they were to move from one car to the next.) My husband and I actually had to use it as an overpriced booster for my 4 year old on our last excursion because we were going to be late for an appointment and couldn't get a good install. I did not spend 270.00 to just have a booster. I wanted a harness to keep my child as safe as possible. The fabric is also cheap and pills easily and the straps twist all over the place. VERY disappointed and will probably not buy from Britax again.

Comments from The Staff:

Thank you so much for your review. I?m SO sorry to hear that you were unhappy with your Britax Frontier. We try to provide as much information we can on our website and through our customer service staff to ensure customers like you end up with a product that is perfect for your needs.

Based off of your feedback we will be contacting the manufacturer to make sure that the installation issues you experienced can hopefully be corrected on the manufacturing end.

Please feel free to contact us with any other questions or concerns you may have and thanks again for the feedback!

Thanks,
Melissa T.
(EliteCarSeats.com)

I have been researching booster seats for a couple of months now. My four year old daughter has grown too tall for her Britax Marathon (which we love). Because of the comments about installation problems, I first bought the Eddie Bauer high back booster seat. Once I had it at home and was reading the installation guide, I realized I could not use the harness option, because my daughter weighed more than 40 pounds. I returned the seat and purchased the Britax Frontier. One major advantage is that your child can remain in the harness until 80 pounds. I did not find another seat with this option. I want to keep my daughter in the five-point harness as long as possible. Because of all of the installation comments, I first read the manual. Installation with the lap/shoulder belt using the short-belt path took me about 10 minutes. The seat fits great in the middle seat of our Honda Pilot. Once again, Britax is well worth the money. My daughter also loves the seat -- especially the cup holder and arm rests.

We have been using the Frontier for about six months and love it. I do hate having to trade it between vehicles, because it takes three times as long to install as our Roundabout. We have two Subaru Legacys -- one wagon and one sedan. The install in the sedan is a little easier (perhaps because the seat back is higher?). The very first time I tried to install the Frontier, I could NOT get a tight fit with the lap belt. I worked on it for forty minutes and nearly gave up, but tried one more time and finally figured out that I needed to turn the buckle to the lap belt 180 degrees (upside down) inside the short belt path in order to get the angle in able able to tighten it properly. That worked! I have used the LATCH belt to install on a relative's Dodge extended cab, and it took only 10 or 15 minutes (and a LOT of muscle) the first time. Don't be afraid to kneel IN the seat while tightening. Also: on most vehicles you cannot "borrow" LATCH connectors for a middle-seat install (I often wonder if that is many folks' difficulty on LATCH placement). The lifting armrests are handy for getting our son in and out of the seat. The armrests are also helpful as a place to hold back the straps when he is climbing in (though I miss the little velcro tabs on our Roundabout). The cup-holders tip a bit too far back for my liking in the harness mode. (The recline block causes the seat to lean further back in harness mode.) But honestly, that's just me being picky. This is a great and sturdy seat. Be sure to watch the video up above so you can see why you need those big sidewings around your child's head. The side impact protection on this seat is AMAZING. I feel so much safer for having it. The sidewings are also great for when my son falls asleep on long drives. They support his head in a very comfortable position. I like the rubbery harness covers at the chest; they keep the harness from slipping on wiggly children, and also make it harder for little hands to pull the chest clip down from it's proper position at armpit level. My son says the seat is very comfortable, and prefers it to his Roundabout (he's still within the limits for that seat). He has the red Frontier and calls it his "race-car seat." He giggled for 30 minutes straight during our first ride. We will be buying another one soon so we can stop using the Roundabout and so we don't have to trade between cars anymore. I will never buy another carseat that is not Britax. Their dedication to quality and safety astounds me.