Popular kids car seat Joie costing $629 fails crash test – as experts say a toddler would have died if it would have been a real road smash
- Expensive car safety seat that is still on sale spectacularly fails crash test
- First time in 28 years of safety testing that a dummy has been completely ejected
- $629 Joie I-Travvel Car Seat failed in forward-facing mode secured by ISOfix
- Parents warned of potentially fatal car seat flaw that could kill a child
An expensive children's car booster seat has spectacularly failed a safety trial, ejecting a crash test dummy in a way that would have killed a real child.
Safety consortium, the Child Restraint Evaluation Program (CREP), said it was the first time in their 28-year history of testing that a dummy had been completely ejected.
The $629 Joie I-Travvel car seat failed when in ISOfix forward-facing mode.
The spectacular crash test dummy fail of the $629 Joie I-Travvel Car Seat
Forward-facing mode is the setting recommended for children aged between six months and four years, while rear-facing is for babies aged under six months.
ISOfix is an alternative method to seatbelts for securing a child safety seat.
The CREP described it as a 'catastrophic performance failure'.
The test result was so bad the safety group overhauled its test protocol so that it could give a zero rating, CREP said in a statement.
The tests show the clips holding the 'child' failed as the 'child' pitches forward on impact in a crash at 56km/h.
The 'child' then flies in a mid-air somersault out of the chair.
NRMA road safety expert Dimitra Vlahomitros warned parents of the device's failure in forward-facing mode, saying the booster seat had been on the market since April.
Parents have been warned the Joie I-Travvel car seat which failed the test in forward-facing mode has been on the market since April
The ISOfix system failed on the Joie I-Travvel car seat in safety trials
'A child restraint that doesn't restrain a dummy just doesn't cut it. These tests demonstrate once again that not all car seats are created equal and the manufacturer needs to lift its game,' Ms Vlahomitros said.
'This is the first time a restraint failed to the extent that the dummy was ejected. Choosing the correct child seat could be a lifesaving decision so it is critical parents make their purchase based on performance and ease of use rather than price or aesthetics.'
Joie Baby, a brand originating in the UK, boasts numerous awards on its website for its carseats including from Mother&Baby in 2016.
However, it is not the first time safety has been an issue for the company.
In November 2019, three baby capsule products had to be recalled for a top tether strap that was weak and could release under excessive load.
The recall was for the Joie i-Gemm infant capsule and base, both stand-alone and as part of the Joie Litetrax 4 Travel System, and also for the base as a separate module.
The Joie I-Travvel car seat was also tested when secured by a seatbelt.
It scored just one star out of a possible five in the same forward-facing mode although this time the dummy 'child' wasn't ejected, CREP said.
When the seat was tested in rear-facing mode it scored the second highest rating of four stars out of five.
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The CREP program tests car seats at 56km/h, to find out how they will perform in a real-world crash.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Joie on Wednesday for comment via Twitter and its online contact form but had not yet received a reply by time of writing.
A spokesperson for Baby Bunting, which sells the Joie i-Travvel, told the Sydney Morning Herald that all the car seats they sell meet Australian standards.
Car seats are tested at 49km/h, a full 10km/h slower than CREP standards, to meet Australian standards.
The NRMA announced its test results for six child restraints on Tuesday.
The restraints were tested in seven modes and scored on safety and ease of use. Not one restraint scored five stars; only two car seats scored four stars.
Kidsafe NSW executive officer Christine Erskine urged manufacturers to ensure their products provide a high level of safety in all its modes, and meet community expectations.
For full safety results of all the seats tested, go to www.childcarseats.com.au
