# Radian vs. 2007 Nissan Versa, please help? *link to pictures in post 14



## mama2004 (Nov 14, 2007)

Last fall, we bought a Radian 80 xtsl for my ds (3 y.o., nearly 40 pounds). I did a lot of reading here and on car-seat.org to try to figure out if the Radian/Versa thing would work and decided to go for it.

Until tonight, I thought that we had worked it out pretty well. I took the seat out of our car last night so that I could adjust the strap height and because the car was going in for some work and the front seats always come back having been pushed way back into the Radian in spite of asking that the seats not be adjusted, so we have to reinstall anyway. Dh and I spent over 40 minutes trying to reinstall tonight and kept having the same problem, which is something I remember having been able to fix in the past.

Problem being; the seat is (or was, anyway) installed rf in the middle with the shoulder/lap belt. We could get it solid as far as side to side movement, but I could easily pull the side opposite the seat belt buckle up away from the seat, so that the seat tipped over toward the passenger side of the car. I think we had a similar problem last time, but with a lot of sweating and pulling, got the seat locked down. No such luck this time. In looking at the design, it's hard for me to see how to avoid that, since the seat belt splits into shoulder/lap portion on the driver's side part of the seat/rf belt path, so there is one portion of the belt pulling down, and one going up to the top of the seat.

Can someone shed some light on what's going on here and/or what we need to do to fix it? For the time being we installed outboard with latch (equal downward forces on both sides, makes for an easy install), but that won't work for us indefinitely (legroom, anyone?) and I'd much rather keep ds in the middle.

ETA, we do twist the seat belt stalk 3 times, and either dh or I climb on the seat to push it down while the other pulls the seat belt with everything they've got.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

can you post pictures? I'm not sure what you're saying is happening.

Also, is there a CPST near you? They can really help. http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=59135


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## mama2004 (Nov 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DahliaRW* 
can you post pictures? I'm not sure what you're saying is happening.

Also, is there a CPST near you? They can really help. http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=59135

I'm in Portland, OR, and the list shows two CPSTs, so I'll work on tracking someone down tomorrow. I probably won't be able to post pictures until tomorrow evening, when my husband is home again to help. I'll try to explain again, maybe more clearly and see if that helps:

So the radian is rf in the center back seat. The seat belt threads through the rf belt path from the driver's to the passenger's side, buckling on the passenger's side. Tonight, every time I thought we had the seat solid (checking to see if there was any bit of slide or give at the belt path), in the process of trying to wiggle the seat, I found that I could lift up the side (the base) of the radian that was toward the driver's side of the car, and tip the whole seat sideways toward the passenger's side of the car--so the driver's side of the radian was off the car seat and it was leaning on it's opposite edge toward the passenger's side of things. Does that make sense?

Thanks for the reply, I'll definitely try to get some pictures sooner, if I can.


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## greenemami (Nov 1, 2007)

might be way off base here, but I had trouble with installing with a lap/shoulder belt (not a radian) because I didn't realize it needed a metal clip and could just pull the seatbelt and it would fall over. Is it possible you are missing a clip to lock the shoulder belt portion? maybe check your manual-sorry if this is not at all what you were talking about


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## TheGirls (Jan 8, 2007)

you should only need a locking clip on older vehicles - usually older than 1996,I think. I use one in my 1995 truck, but my 2003 car doesn't need one. Locking seatbelts became mandatory somewhere in there.

OP, you are remembering to lock the belts, though? A locking clip instead of locked belts can help with the shoulder-belt induced lean issues if that is a problem.


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## mama2004 (Nov 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *TheGirls* 
you should only need a locking clip on older vehicles - usually older than 1996,I think. I use one in my 1995 truck, but my 2003 car doesn't need one. Locking seatbelts became mandatory somewhere in there.

OP, you are remembering to lock the belts, though? A locking clip instead of locked belts can help with the shoulder-belt induced lean issues if that is a problem.

Yes, we're engaging the locking mechanism on the seatbelt (pulling it all the way out and feeding it back in as we pull to tighten). My first thought, too, is that a locking clip or something on the side opposite the seat belt buckle is what would fix this problem, but the Radian manual doesn't show use of the locking clip that way (shows installation of the clip on the side near the buckle, not opposite), and we have the kind of seat belts that are supposed to make locking clips unnecessary, so I think we're without options, there?


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## mama2004 (Nov 14, 2007)

Just to be clear (as mud, right? I'm so sorry I didn't think of taking pictures last night), the radian isn't tilted at all when we have the seat belt as tight as we could get it, just when I check it, I can pull the base up away from the seat on the side opposite the seat belt buckle.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Ok, so in that spot you have a belt that comes down from the ceiling and plugs into the other belt to make the 3 point belt, right? Where does the top of that hard plastic part sit in relation to the belt path on the radian?


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## mama2004 (Nov 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DahliaRW* 
Ok, so in that spot you have a belt that comes down from the ceiling and plugs into the other belt to make the 3 point belt, right? Where does the top of that hard plastic part sit in relation to the belt path on the radian?

Well, the middle shoulder/lap belt doesn't attach to the ceiling of the car, it originates on the top of the seat. Basically, if the Radian is in the middle rf, the belt makes an L shape when it goes through the rf belt path (the shoulder portion goes more or less straight down and through the rf path with the lap belt)... If that makes any sense?

My dh just called and said he's on his way home, so I think I'll try to get some pictures and figure out how to post them in the next couple of hours, maybe that will help.

Thank you!

ETA, maybe I wasn't understanding the question entirely; the middle lap/shoulder belt is just like a normal lap/shoulder belt, all one piece, basically, with three points of contact with the car when buckled; the buckle, the side opposite the buckle where the lap portion originates, and the top side opposite the buckle where the shoulder portion (with all the slack) originates. I'll get some pictures to spare the words.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

It sounds like the seat is tipping due to the seat being pulled up by the shoulder portion of the locked belt. Is that the case? If so, just use a locking clip and leave the belt unlocked


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## mama2004 (Nov 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
It sounds like the seat is tipping due to the seat being pulled up by the shoulder portion of the locked belt. Is that the case? If so, just use a locking clip and leave the belt unlocked









The seat doesn't tip at all on its own, but I can tip it pretty easily just by pulling up on the base. I have the metal locking clip that came with the Radian, as far as installing it, is it possible to put it on before buckling the belt? It needs to go on the side opposite the buckle, so will it work to guesstimate about where we need the clip? Maybe those are silly questions, I haven't used a metal clip before and didn't really find any guidance in the manual.

Thanks, everyone, for your help so far!


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

No, if you use a locking clip, it needs to be on the buckle side.


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## mama2004 (Nov 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
No, if you use a locking clip, it needs to be on the buckle side.

Aha. I don't think that would help, since the side that can be pulled up is opposite the buckle, and we have the seat belt as tight as humanly possible, but tipability remains.


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## mama2004 (Nov 14, 2007)

Ok, I just got some pictures that will hopefully help--I posted them in a Flickr set, here. I hope that link works, and that the photos help!


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

Okay so I have 07 Versa (DH car, I can't believe how different it looks with the light fabric seats!) and a couple Radians one of which was RF in the center at one point. The only way I can get it (and any seat for that matter) installed in the center is to really push it into the blight and then have another person basically stand there on it. Twisting the bet stalk 3 times is totally necessary too, just like you said you did. It doesn't really get pulled down by the seat belt and I know what that looks like, that happens in the 3rd row of my Mazda 5 pretty hard core. The belt likes to get stuck in the buckle, like caught in the corner so it doesn't tighten well. You think its tight but because of the angle of the belt, it isn't even close Check that and see if that is maybe what is happening.

I HATE this care for putting car seats in BTW...it has off-side LATCH anchors and a really curved back seat that make sit really, really hard with so many seats!

ETA: I re-looked at your pics and my Versa doesn't have belt stalks that are forward of the blight, they are back in the seat blight,coming out between the top cushion and the bottom...is that a trick of the picture or are they actually forward of the blight? I think that would casue major issues with that seat!


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## mama2004 (Nov 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BathrobeGoddess* 
Okay so I have 07 Versa (DH car, I can't believe how different it looks with the light fabric seats!) and a couple Radians one of which was RF in the center at one point. The only way I can get it (and any seat for that matter) installed in the center is to really push it into the blight and then have another person basically stand there on it. Twisting the bet stalk 3 times is totally necessary too, just like you said you did. It doesn't really get pulled down by the seat belt and I know what that looks like, that happens in the 3rd row of my Mazda 5 pretty hard core. The belt likes to get stuck in the buckle, like caught in the corner so it doesn't tighten well. You think its tight but because of the angle of the belt, it isn't even close Check that and see if that is maybe what is happening.

I HATE this care for putting car seats in BTW...it has off-side LATCH anchors and a really curved back seat that make sit really, really hard with so many seats!

ETA: I re-looked at your pics and my Versa doesn't have belt stalks that are forward of the blight, they are back in the seat blight,coming out between the top cushion and the bottom...is that a trick of the picture or are they actually forward of the blight? I think that would casue major issues with that seat!

Yeah, that light colored fabric is awesome with a toddler and a dh who used to use the car like a utility truck. Ahem.

The belt stalks are actually a bit ahead of the bight, they kind of come out of a slit that's perpendicular to the bight and ahead by an inch or two. I'll definitely pay more attention to how the belt is moving through the buckle--obviously something is not getting pulled as tightly as it needs to, in spite of all the blood, sweat and tears. I kneel on the edge of the Radian against the seat back and push/bounce, whatever, while my husband is half out of the car door pulling the seat belt as tight as he can. Our neighbors must love the show. But it used to work, I swear.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

This looks like tipping from the locked retractor. If you use the locking clip and leave the belt unlocked, it won't be pulling up the other side, and thus it wont' be tipping.


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *annalivia* 
Yeah, that light colored fabric is awesome with a toddler and a dh who used to use the car like a utility truck. Ahem.

The belt stalks are actually a bit ahead of the bight, they kind of come out of a slit that's perpendicular to the bight and ahead by an inch or two. I'll definitely pay more attention to how the belt is moving through the buckle--obviously something is not getting pulled as tightly as it needs to, in spite of all the blood, sweat and tears. I kneel on the edge of the Radian against the seat back and push/bounce, whatever, while my husband is half out of the car door pulling the seat belt as tight as he can. Our neighbors must love the show. But it used to work, I swear.

That is completely different than our car! How crazy! The stalks come right from inside the two cushions. Well it might not be the same as my car then, not the same tricks







...its just crazy that it is different for the same year, make and model! We bought ours in September of 06 though...


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## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

I can't help, but I know exactly what you are talking about! I ordered a radian for our accord and had the same exact problem and no matter what I did I could not get it to stop, I ended up sending the radian back. The seat is installed as tight as humanly possible and seems not to move at all, but then if you grab the back of the base and push the seat just tips right over! Has nothing to do with locking vs non locking clip. Good luck and sorry!


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## mama2004 (Nov 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BathrobeGoddess* 
That is completely different than our car! How crazy! The stalks come right from inside the two cushions. Well it might not be the same as my car then, not the same tricks







...its just crazy that it is different for the same year, make and model! We bought ours in September of 06 though...

That's really funny, because I think we bought ours in August or September 06, not long after I found out I was pg. Maybe different models/options have some variations? They only had two anywhere near us and only one of them was the standard transmission that we wanted, so we ended up with the one that has keyless entry and all that (good lord, how did we ever live without it?).

*snoopy5386*, I'm sorry that you know what I'm talking about (b/c it stinks!). It's really frustrating, but I know that we fixed this once before, so there's got to be a way, right? Maybe? No way we can afford a larger vehicle at this point, and I'd like to keep ds rf for at least another year if possible...


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I would make sure the LAP portion of the belt is tight, because if it is truly tight enough it won't do that. Also, try the locking clip, you never know. http://www.ehow.com/how_5628716_use-...king-clip.html has instructions.

Can you get a more upright install if you use the tricks to do it using latch on the side? If you search on car-seat.org there are tips on doing that. That would be my advice for now if the middle won't work. Does your car allow the radian to touch the seat? That might give more legroom up front as well.

If none of that works for you, I would consider another seat before I would turn a child ffing (though I don't know how old your child is).


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## mama2004 (Nov 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DahliaRW* 
I would make sure the LAP portion of the belt is tight, because if it is truly tight enough it won't do that. Also, try the locking clip, you never know. http://www.ehow.com/how_5628716_use-...king-clip.html has instructions.

Can you get a more upright install if you use the tricks to do it using latch on the side? If you search on car-seat.org there are tips on doing that. That would be my advice for now if the middle won't work. Does your car allow the radian to touch the seat? That might give more legroom up front as well.

If none of that works for you, I would consider another seat before I would turn a child ffing (though I don't know how old your child is).

We don't have a lot of wiggle room as far as getting it more upright; the only trick I've found so far is to try to pull it out a bit from the bight before fastening it down, and that hasn't made a difference. I really wish they would redesign the base for rf. One problem with trying another seat is that the xtsl is the only one I know of that will rf to 45# and ds is 3y 4m and last we weighed him, four or so months ago, he was 38.5#. It wouldn't be the end of the world to turn him, but I really wanted to keep him rf to the limit of this seat.

Dh and I will just have to give it another go in the next day or two, since I know we've managed it before. Thank you for the link to the locking clip info, I'll definitely keep that on the list of things that can't hurt to try. I thought we had this seat pretty well figured out, but I guess it still has a few tricks up its sleeve. If nothing else, the rf outboard latch is a breeze, just not practical for front passengers, and not preferred as a placement in lieu of the middle. Good thing I'm stubborn.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

At 3 years 4 months I wouldn't sweat ffing with top tether if it makes you a little more sane! And yeah, at that weight I wouldn't purchase another seat either.

Hopefully you can find a CPST to help you. Good luck!


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