We have used this carseat rear facing for our daughter (now 3) since she was 7 months old. This is a like the comfiest recliner- our daughter loves to ride in the car- we have taken many long distance trips and she never complains. The headrest area is so plush and she often takes a great nap. We have not had any issues with tightening or with fraying. The only issue is that grandma cannot open the bottom as it is very hard to push the red button to release- you need strong thumbs or fingers for this!

I read all the reviews before purchasing two of these for my twins. I do not understand all the bad reviews about tightening the seat and straps. My straps aren't fraying yet, I will watch for it just in case it happens but so far this is an amazing seat. My boys are MUCH more comfortable and have stopped fussing in their seats and I love all the safety features. This seat was NOT hard to install, despite people saying even their husbands have a hard time. I'm a single mother, I took the seat out of the box, read the manual, played with loosening and tightening the straps and looked at the seat belt path and the click anchors. Since I'm currently using this rear facing I'm using the tethers. I took it out into the car, clipped on the tethers and pulled the tether belt tight, then got up in the car and put my weight in the seat and gave it another good tug and this seat isn't going anywhere, its super secure and doesn't budge at all. It took a whole 3 minutes.... again NOT HARD Next I put one of my twins in and did a test fit with the harness, loosened it quite a bit, put him in and tightened it with the strap between the legs, it was NOT HARD, again it was super easy to get him in securely, he wasn't too loose or too tight and he seemed to really enjoy the seat (and now that I'm using them full time its very clear to me that they love these seats). Unless all these people somehow got faulty seats they must be doing something wrong. My boys also no longer get too hot, they used to sweat terribly in their old seats and come out all wet, since being in these seats, even on hot days they are dry and don't feel over hot. The fabric is much softer and breathes better than other car seat fabrics, plus its machine washable and dryable! that's HUGE. I do wish it had a bubble level on the rear facing level line, it would be much easier to check level than trying to hold my level up to it, which is too big to get in the right spot.

I read all the reviews and I honestly haven't had any of the problems these people have had. My straps are fine and I feel like if the seat is really easy to instal it's also easy to fall out in an accident so take the extra 5 min to do it right!

I have had two of these car seats. One I noticed both the belts fraying (when I went to clean it) and returned it. I have just cleaned my other seat and it has the same issue! I can't believe this product hasn't been recalled, especially seeing other people have this same issue. Thankfully I decided to clean this today, I don't want to think what would have happened if we got into a crash with this frayed strap. Also, I can concur that once these are forward facing they are impossible to tighten.

My son had this car seat since he was 9 or 10 months. He will be 2 years old next month. Read all the reviews before buying. This car seat is hard to install. My husband has to install it and it takes him a long time to get it tight. It makes him frustrated. I dread taking it out and putting it back in our truck. If you do not tighten it, it will be lose and not safe. Also it's hard to adjust the height. I have to squeeze the lever very very hard. Sometimes it does not bulge. I would not get this again and I do not recommend it. My son is only 2 and I am already counting the days when he is old enough to get it out of it. I will probably buy a different one later.