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It's pretty hard to find anything as annoying and confusing as an infant carrier. Even when everything works well, they're an irritant. When something goes wrong, it can be a disaster, as the complaints in this section illustrate.
There have been safety recalls of some Evenflo seats. Check now to be see if yours is included.
Here are some of the more recent complaints about strollers, carseats and other transport systems:
Mom of St John, MO September 22, 2007
As do many parents I began shopping around for a safe carseat to bring my newborn baby girl home in. I have a 10 yr. old daughter as well and had remembered the wonderful travel system I had received for her. There were no problems in 1997 so why not go the same route in 2006. My oldest daughter was still in her stroller at the age of 5- no problems at all. I requsted a similiar travel system for my new baby and it has been a disaster. First I get information regarding a recall but since the recall wasn't on my particular model EVENFLO wouldn't do anything. The handle of my infant carrier doesn't feel secure it since I couldn't afford to just buy a different one and take chances with a recall safety issue I refused to move the seat out of the car! I have installed the seat correctly and to confirm my knowledge I went to a local police station on car safety day to have it checked out.
The stroller-the award selling convience is a sham. Shortly after the recall scare the wheels started wobbling. Parents/ consumers put faith in manufacturing companies especially when we believe they are going through the proper safety channels to sale their product. My baby is now 9 1/2 months and weighs all of 18 1/2 pounds. While taking my girls on an outing for mommy daughter day I heard a snapping sound and my poor child fell backwards. Luckily I keep her strapped in because without I can't even imagine. There are small metal rods or screws on each side of the stroller that's supposed to be secured with plastic. The plastic broke on one side of the stroller.
A customer service rep. replied to my complaints by first telling me that I am over my warranty period- "she's 9 months but if it would have broken when she was 9 days or even 90 days we would HAVE to replace it for you ma'am." I was also informed that there is no replacement part for the seat back so I should just invest in another stroller. As if I would put my trust/faith in EVENFLO again and give them another dollar. Times change but the safety measures of children should only get better not WORSE! Lori of Hebron, KY August 7, 2007
I'm having the EXACT same problem as reported by Julianna of Guelph, Ontario on 02/02/06.
We recently purchased an Evenflo Tribute V (In July), as an extra car seat for my daughter and niece. When the seat is not in the car, it works perfectly. Once latched into the vehicle, the straps absolutely will not tighten completely, leaving far too much slack.
The seat has been installed in our Honda Odyssey forward facing (using LATCH) for my niece, and rear facing in a Chevy Astrovan (using the seatbelt) for my daughter.
No matter how it is installed (forward or rear facing), or how it is latched into the vehicle, the straps will not tighten once installed. Beverly of Milford, OH May 10, 2007
My six month old son was at the babysitter's house. It was getting close to nap time, and he typically takes a nap in his car seat. She was upstairs, and was taking him downstairs in the finished basement for his nap. He was not strapped in at the time. She had the handle clicked into place in the upright position and opened the door to head down the stairs when the handle clicked out of place making the seat move forward. My son fell down an entire flight of stairs end over end. You can imagine my reaction when my babysitter called me at work to tell me my six month old had fallen down and entire flight of stairs. She said he had remained conscious, but had scratches on his nose and forehead.
I immediately left work and took him to the pediatrician. The doctor checked for swelling in his head and abdomen and told me all the warning signs to look for throughout the night. I was even told to wake him two hours after he fell asleep for the night, to make sure he was still alright. Thankfully, the rug burn on his face and head where his only injuries. Since I wasn't there when it occurred, I never fully understood how this could happen. But a friend of mine at work just forwarded the recall information on the Evenflo Embrace infant seats, so now there is no question in mind how this happened. While his seat is a Discovery and not an Embrace, the handle design is the same, and it is the same manufacturer.
I can't believe a company would make a faulty product such as this. Its sole purpose is to keep your baby safe. I will NEVER by an evenflo product again, and will tell everyone I know to never support this company by buying their products. Mary of Houston, TX March 14, 2007
I bought the Evenflo Port-about 5 infant car seat & an extra base (to use in both my & my husband's car). We purchased the car seat in Spring 2004 from Burlington's Baby Superstore, prior to my first son being born. Initially, I didn't think much about some of the annoyances I had with the car seat--difficulty tightening the straps to keep my son appropriately "safe" while strapped in, the diffiiculty getting the carrying handle back into the UP position for carrying, & the flimsy canopy that kept falling off.
Once I saw some of the other models (mostly Graco & Combi) that my friends were using, I began to realize that not all car seats are made alike & they've experienced none of these problems. I remember being relieved when my son finally outgrew the seat. Tho. I made the misfortunate mistake of keeping this carseat for child #2...also, back when my son was still using the Port-about 5, I purchased the Evenflo Journey stroller from target. I instantly fell inlove with the fabric & that it had the mosquito netting (much needed living along the Gulf Coast!). I've been mostly pleased with this stroller other than that the wheels keep popping out when its being either transferred from car to garage/vice versa...or when opening it up to use (mostly the right rear, but ALL of the wheels at some point have popped off--once when we were lifting the stroller up over a curb--luckily my husband was with me & I had an extra set of hands to help me pop it back on--if I'd been by myself my son could've been injured. Vianna of Pierce, ID March 27, 2008
There was a recall of the Evenflo Discover infant seats. Instead of allowing customers to return these seats they sent out a fastener to fix the problem. After receiving the fastener, I tried to use it and discovered that it isn't even practical to use. I then E-mailed Evenflo and told them of the problem and that I would like to return the seat for a refund. I then received an E-mail back stating that they would NOT allow me to return the seat. I have copies of these E-mails for reference. I feel like Evenflo is more concerned with what this recall is going to cost rather then making a product that is safe. After trying to communicate with Evenflo I feel like it is a lost cause. Evenflo needs to be held responsible to fix this problem not just put a band-aid on it.
In my case no damage has resulted but could potentially if I were to get into a crash with my child in the vehicle.
Taren of Moline, IL March 5, 2008
I have an evenflo car seat. This car seat is very dangerous. When i buckle my son in it the latch that suppose to goes over his chest doesnt, instead it goes over his neck and chokes him. my son is 22 pounds and 32 inches tall. i have had the car seat about 6 months and after having him goes 2 inchs i could not put him in the car seat. i had to buy another car seat. The evenflo one i spent 70 or 80 dollars on. I had called the company to get a refund or somethin else in exchange and they said they could not do anything, they said to wait til he was 30 pounds then use the regular seat belt in the car seat. Which i still had to buy another car seat that was 85 dollars. It is a joke that they would sell unsafe car seat that choke children. what if he had been in a accident?? he could have been killed. I think these car seat sould be taken of the shelves.
I child could have been injuryed serious or even killed from this carseat. Something should be done
Beauvon of Sherwood Park, OTHER November 19, 2007
I bought the Evenflo Journy travel system. Not even 4 months later both front wheels fell off. They fall off every time I put the stroller in or take it out of the vehicle. They also fall of when I try to lift it over a curb, in traffic, with my baby in the stoller. I do not feel safe using this stoller at all.
Valerie of Tarpon Springs, FL June 6, 2007
We have the Evenflo Embrace car seat that was recently recalled due to the carrier handle unlocking and babies hitting the pavement or other surfaces and being injured. Injuries range from bumps/bruises to skull fractures. I spoke with a representative and later a supervisor and all they will do is send a repair kit so you can fix the handle yourself.
That is ridiculous! When parents buy products that are sold as new and tested you trust that someday you will not have to repair them yourself. I could not believe their lack of consideration to my comfort as a parent. Why should I feel safe putting a newborn in a seat I repaired myself?? I will never purchase an Evenflo product again. They only recalled about 450,000 seats a major company like Evenflo can surely afford to replace car seats for those parents who are not comfortable fixing Evenflo's problem them selves. I guess meeting their bottom line is more important that ensuring their consumers are comfortable and confident with their products. Whatever happened to customer satisfaction? Ashley of Belgrave, OTHER January 17, 2007
Well, my son Carson was born on June 11/06. We were so excited bringing him home in his new car seat... But when we were installing it for the first time.... We soon realized how much space Carson needed. We drive a 99 Jimmy and we installed Carson base behind the passenger seat.... The amount of space needed to install it properly is outrageous....The passenger seat is placed forward as much as it can go... not very comfy.... And the stroller.... I have had to call and get new wheels for the stroller because they would just pop off.... the canopy on the car seat keeps falling down.
The whole travel system is nice looking but jsut not practical..... I think that evenflo should take this product off the shelf... reading on the consumer reports.. the evenflo embrace carseat only scored a 25 out of 100... (how can that be sold to consumers)... It's not safe... I'm just glad my wee man will be going to the next size car seat soon.
Amy of Carberry, OTHER January 13, 2007
I purchased the Evenflo Embrace infant travel system a few months ago. My son was born in November and currently weighs no more than 11lbs. however the carrying handle on this seat twists and could potentially break apart.
I contacted Evenflo and they sent out a replacement seat NO QUESTIONS asked! This alarmed me so I contacted consumer affairs - Transport Canada to see if this is an ongoing issue. I was told that they are currently doing an investigation into this exact matter and that they have had some infants injured.
I received the replacement seat from Evenflo yesterday and the handle is no better. I contacted Evenflo again and was told by not only an rep, but the manager that I need to get my facts straight before I make accusations regarding the safety of this seat. They told me that there have been no issues what so ever and that I am making this up.
Brandy of Pittsburgh, PA January 6, 2007
The Aura Travel System from Evenflo is not worth the money. My daughter is 6 months old today. She has a medical condition that limits us from being able to go a lot of places. So one would think a stroller/car seat would last alot longer than 6months. We have had nothing but problems with this car seat and stroller. The first thing I really noticed was the material around the stroller itself is all pulled so tight it has frayed and torn. According to Evenflo since I didn't notice this within 90 days of purchase there is nothing they can do.
Well the point of a travel system is putting the carrier seat on the stroller not laying a new baby in the stroller, and since I didn't purchase the stroller it was 40 days past before I even received the thing.
The second thing was the carrier seat does not snap easily into the base. I thought it was supposed to be this way it was brand new. When I went to a store recently and looked at the other models they worked great. So does my neighbors who has a 9 month old.(Different kind). Next was the pieces on the sides that say evenflo the bottom pieces that cover the screws came off, my husband has snapped this on repeatedly.
Yesterday was the final straw when we were at my daughters surgeons office and as I am walking through the hospital doors to the outside street I notice the wheel in the back left wobbling like it is going to come off. I was scared to death the wheel was going to pop off. Here I am pushing a stroller car seat combination with one hand carring the baby in the other trying to keep all the weight off of the back wheel hoping the wheel doesn't come off while my 5 year old daughter is holding on to my purse running across the streets to the parking garages in the pouring down rain.
When I called the company she offered to send a replacement part for the inside pieces of the wheel but nothing could be done about the rest of this stroller that was 150.00 (plus tax) Now to some that may seem like nothing but I have 4 children and have never had a problem like this. I am even more upset that I asked her if there were any other complaints about this stroller and she said no. I see some on this web site so that was not the truth. I had picked the Evenflo Aura Travel system to put on my gift registry. It is upsetting that someone thought enough of my family to spend money like that on a gift and it is not worth the price. Evenflo does not stand behind their products at all.
I now have to wait for the replacement piece for the wheel and hope thats what the problem is. I also have a stroller that I should get almost 3 years out of that looks like its already 3 years old and I don't know if I even feel safe using it. I really can't afford a new stroller and car seat at this point but what do I do? I will never purchase any evenflo product again. Not that evenflo cares about that but at least I will feel better not supporting them. Kelly of West Bloomfield, NY December 10, 2006
I purchased an evenflo carseat/stroller combo from walmart. I have had it for 3 months now and my daughter has had 2 accidents in it. The first being when i went to transfer her from one room to another. I put the handle in the upright position and when I picked her up the handle released and she flipped forward falling on her head. This accident led to a trip to the hospital.
The second incident was when I had her in the store cart. The product claims that the carseat will lock onto the child seat part of the cart up front. I heard the click of the seat being locked in, but no more than 15 minutes later when we turned a corner, the carseat came unlatched from the cart and flipped over. One side had latched because it stuck on the cart before it fell completely off. Again this resulted in my child falling on the floor on her head. God only knows what type of long term damage this has provided to my daughter. Not to mention the trauma and stress I went through each time I watched this happen.
I didnt think anything of this until I started doing some reasearch online and found out that this is not an uncommon occurrence. I just want other parents to be aware of the dangers of evenflo's carseats and I would like the company to own up to their mistakes and be held accountable.
Nathaniel of West Covina, CA September 7, 2006
We have an EVENFLO Auro On the Go - Travel System. We've had it for 11 months now and have already had many problem with it. For example, about 4 months ago the mechanism in the handle located on the carrier broke so we cannot use the carrier to carry our son in it anymore, on the stroller the rear-right wheel has fallen off a few times already and will not stay on, it seems the plastic cap has wore off inside, the last but main concern is the seat will keep unsnapping from the base and swings almost 90 degrees backwards. We have had this system for about 11 months now and has proven to be very dangerous to my son.
Being that these systems are expensive we cannot just go out and buy a new one at any time. We've been saving and for have to do with what we got which is very uncomfortable knowing that any of these things described could havppen at any time. When the seat came apart from the base and swung backwards my sons legs were pinched under the food tray because of the back lateral movement from the seat. His legs were bruised for a few days. Laura of Barrie, OTHER August 30, 2006
Below the red handle on the side of the embrace car seat/carrier (under the green means go dot) there is a little red dot (the handle is connected to the inside of the plastic of the car seat using these things...anyway, I learned that it is made of cheap plastic when my 4 month old infant was properly strapped in and flipped over. It is not that the handle malfunctioned like what I have read..this red connector dot had bent the plastic and moved into the hollow part of the plastic so the handle does not grip into a position anymore (if that makes any sense). I am so angry this happend and that there is no 24 hour hotline to call and complain. I will NEVER purchase an evenflo product again so I am not sure how they are going to try to calm me down. I will take that up with them tomorrow morning. I just don't understand why it is still being sold if there is even 5 complaints about it, which ticks me off even more.
Thankfully my daughter was strapped in properly and I am overly cautious so I caught her in the seat before her head would have went face first into the concrete outside...although that does not lighten the situation in any way. The car seat is useless to me now, so I have to spend money on a new one (which I wasn't planning for a couple more months and we're in the process of moving so money is hard to come by) but my baby is worth everything so I never have to use this piece of junk again. Jody of Hastings, MI August 17, 2006
I had the carseat model 5481586 manufactured in June 18, 2005. The handle started to crack apart from the car seat. I called evenflo and they are replacing the car seat and told me there had been a change in the design. I was extremely pleased with the organization's treatment in my concerns and willingness to replace my product purchases.
Leighann of Austinville, VA August 11, 2003
My son is 24 months old and he has learned to climb out of his car seat. He undoes the clip on the chest straps. It's the one you just slide on to not the one you buckle. He does this going down the road. Before you get to stop he's out and in the floor.
He has cut his arm from falling in the floor board or the car.
Brandy of Pittsburgh, PA January 6, 2007
The Aura Travel System from Evenflo is not worth the money. My daughter is 6 months old today. She has a medical condition that limits us from being able to go a lot of places. So one would think a stroller/car seat would last alot longer than 6months. We have had nothing but problems with this car seat and stroller. The first thing I really noticed was the material around the stroller itself is all pulled so tight it has frayed and torn. According to Evenflo since I didn't notice this within 90 days of purchase there is nothing they can do.
Well the point of a travel system is putting the carrier seat on the stroller not laying a new baby in the stroller, and since I didn't purchase the stroller it was 40 days past before I even received the thing.
The second thing was the carrier seat does not snap easily into the base. I thought it was supposed to be this way it was brand new. When I went to a store recently and looked at the other models they worked great. So does my neighbors who has a 9 month old.(Different kind). Next was the pieces on the sides that say evenflo the bottom pieces that cover the screws came off, my husband has snapped this on repeatedly.
Yesterday was the final straw when we were at my daughters surgeons office and as I am walking through the hospital doors to the outside street I notice the wheel in the back left wobbling like it is going to come off. I was scared to death the wheel was going to pop off. Here I am pushing a stroller car seat combination with one hand carring the baby in the other trying to keep all the weight off of the back wheel hoping the wheel doesn't come off while my 5 year old daughter is holding on to my purse running across the streets to the parking garages in the pouring down rain.
When I called the company she offered to send a replacement part for the inside pieces of the wheel but nothing could be done about the rest of this stroller that was 150.00 (plus tax) Now to some that may seem like nothing but I have 4 children and have never had a problem like this. I am even more upset that I asked her if there were any other complaints about this stroller and she said no. I see some on this web site so that was not the truth. I had picked the Evenflo Aura Travel system to put on my gift registry. It is upsetting that someone thought enough of my family to spend money like that on a gift and it is not worth the price. Evenflo does not stand behind their products at all.
I now have to wait for the replacement piece for the wheel and hope thats what the problem is. I also have a stroller that I should get almost 3 years out of that looks like its already 3 years old and I don't know if I even feel safe using it. I really can't afford a new stroller and car seat at this point but what do I do? I will never purchase any evenflo product again. Not that evenflo cares about that but at least I will feel better not supporting them. Kelly of West Bloomfield, NY December 10, 2006
I purchased an evenflo carseat/stroller combo from walmart. I have had it for 3 months now and my daughter has had 2 accidents in it. The first being when i went to transfer her from one room to another. I put the handle in the upright position and when I picked her up the handle released and she flipped forward falling on her head. This accident led to a trip to the hospital.
The second incident was when I had her in the store cart. The product claims that the carseat will lock onto the child seat part of the cart up front. I heard the click of the seat being locked in, but no more than 15 minutes later when we turned a corner, the carseat came unlatched from the cart and flipped over. One side had latched because it stuck on the cart before it fell completely off. Again this resulted in my child falling on the floor on her head. God only knows what type of long term damage this has provided to my daughter. Not to mention the trauma and stress I went through each time I watched this happen.
I didnt think anything of this until I started doing some reasearch online and found out that this is not an uncommon occurrence. I just want other parents to be aware of the dangers of evenflo's carseats and I would like the company to own up to their mistakes and be held accountable.
Nathaniel of West Covina, CA September 7, 2006
We have an EVENFLO Auro On the Go - Travel System. We've had it for 11 months now and have already had many problem with it. For example, about 4 months ago the mechanism in the handle located on the carrier broke so we cannot use the carrier to carry our son in it anymore, on the stroller the rear-right wheel has fallen off a few times already and will not stay on, it seems the plastic cap has wore off inside, the last but main concern is the seat will keep unsnapping from the base and swings almost 90 degrees backwards. We have had this system for about 11 months now and has proven to be very dangerous to my son.
Being that these systems are expensive we cannot just go out and buy a new one at any time. We've been saving and for have to do with what we got which is very uncomfortable knowing that any of these things described could havppen at any time. When the seat came apart from the base and swung backwards my sons legs were pinched under the food tray because of the back lateral movement from the seat. His legs were bruised for a few days. Laura of Barrie, OTHER August 30, 2006
Below the red handle on the side of the embrace car seat/carrier (under the green means go dot) there is a little red dot (the handle is connected to the inside of the plastic of the car seat using these things...anyway, I learned that it is made of cheap plastic when my 4 month old infant was properly strapped in and flipped over. It is not that the handle malfunctioned like what I have read..this red connector dot had bent the plastic and moved into the hollow part of the plastic so the handle does not grip into a position anymore (if that makes any sense). I am so angry this happend and that there is no 24 hour hotline to call and complain. I will NEVER purchase an evenflo product again so I am not sure how they are going to try to calm me down. I will take that up with them tomorrow morning. I just don't understand why it is still being sold if there is even 5 complaints about it, which ticks me off even more.
Thankfully my daughter was strapped in properly and I am overly cautious so I caught her in the seat before her head would have went face first into the concrete outside...although that does not lighten the situation in any way. The car seat is useless to me now, so I have to spend money on a new one (which I wasn't planning for a couple more months and we're in the process of moving so money is hard to come by) but my baby is worth everything so I never have to use this piece of junk again. Jody of Hastings, MI August 17, 2006
I had the carseat model 5481586 manufactured in June 18, 2005. The handle started to crack apart from the car seat. I called evenflo and they are replacing the car seat and told me there had been a change in the design. I was extremely pleased with the organization's treatment in my concerns and willingness to replace my product purchases.
Leighann of Austinville, VA August 11, 2003
My son is 24 months old and he has learned to climb out of his car seat. He undoes the clip on the chest straps. It's the one you just slide on to not the one you buckle. He does this going down the road. Before you get to stop he's out and in the floor.
He has cut his arm from falling in the floor board or the car.
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