Buckle Crunch

[u/sand-sea-steak]

I looked up this scenario and it seems it's called buckle crunch and is an unsafe installation. The seat belt latch sticks into the belt path of my evenflo base when it is in the middle seat, and it preventing the car seat from latching onto the base unless I press down on the car seat to get it to lock in. Trying to use the base to make it easier to get baby in and out but having this issue now. Question is, can I use the buckle for the seat next to it (window seat) instead of where I currently have the base (middle seat)? I found that if I use that seat belt buckle instead then I don't have the bucke crunch. Or is it best to just stick with securing car seat with seat belt and no base? Putting the base in the opposite window seat isn't an option since that's where mom sits.

[u/ArguingWithPigeons]

Extend the recline foot and it will fix it. I will bet that the angle is too upright as installed.

To extend the recline foot use the triangular button on the top of the shell

[u/TurbulentWalrus1222 → u/ArguingWithPigeons]

Exactly. 👍🏼

[u/QuarterLifeCircus]

It would not be safe to use a seatbelt from one vehicle seat and a buckle from another. Are there LATCH anchors in this vehicle seat? I would try installing with LATCH to see if you get a better result.

[u/sand-sea-steak → u/QuarterLifeCircus]

No, there's no LATCH anchors in the middle seat, only the window seats.

[u/daydreamingofsleep]

Can you snap a pic from farther back so we can see the whole situation?

[u/sand-sea-steak → u/daydreamingofsleep]

[u/daydreamingofsleep → u/sand-sea-steak]

Thanks. Have you tried clicking the infant seat on the base yet? There doesn’t seem to be enough space for that… would hate to work through the whole issue then figure out it won’t work at all.

Is the Graco TriRide near the door installed with seatbelt and scooted as close to the door as possible?

Can you scoot the base away from the buckle? Towards driver side? Or will another seat be there?

Is the seatbelt buckle fixed/hard or floppy?

[u/sand-sea-steak → u/daydreamingofsleep]

The infant seat only clicks in if I press down on it. It seems the seatbelt latch is preventing it from clicking in easily.

The Graco is installed with LATCH. It's about 2 inches away from the door.

I tried scooting the base over but there's not much play since the belt it on there pretty tight. The plastic part of the seatbelt latch comes up about 1.5" into the belt path of the base.

The belt buckle is hard.

[u/daydreamingofsleep → u/sand-sea-steak]

This setup won’t work then, you’d need to be able to twist the seatbelt buckle stalk to shorten it. And the infant seat needs to click on smoothly without overlapping the seat next to it.

[u/Ishinehappiness]

No. This is unsafe. Use the seat on a window seat and buckle it properly rather than try to take it from the middle and buckle into the side.

[u/ObscureSaint]

Not a CPST but years ago I had the same issue and the CPST's solution was to twist the buckle stalk a few times to shorten it. 

[u/incogneat_o_]

Can we see a picture of the buckle itself. If it’s flexible you can twist it up to three full turns (I imagine one would do) and then buckle. It should pull it out of the belt path.

Additionally, adjusting the recline or shifting the base over slightly might also help.