When my son was finally mature enough to sit in a belt positioning booster, we reintroduced our Graco TurboBooster 8493 seat, which my son affectionally called his "red seat", because of the bright red cushion. Luckily the Nania Airway LX seat that we had in my husband's Suburban also had a red cover on it, so my kid was happy. I'm not sure exactly the circumstances but there came a time when I needed to pick up an extra carseat because the Nania was out of commission (I'm pretty sure it involved puke and the need to have another seat right away while the other one was getting washed and reassembled - the Nania has amazingly tricky strap work). Well, knowing that he liked seats that were red and happily road in the TurboBooster seat in my car when I saw this Graco seat I picked it right up. Turns out it was the new model... now called the SafeSeat. $50 poorer, I was now the proud owner of a Graco TurboBooster SafeSeat (Step 3) 8497VIC in the Victory pattern which is a combo between black and red/black (almost maroon) mesh. We decided to put this newer seat into my minivan because it was the primary vehicle and the older Turbobooster model moved to my husband's truck.

About the Graco Safe Seat (Step 3) TurboBooster 8497 Vic

Unlike earlier models of the the Graco TurboBooster the current Graco Safe Seat (Step 3) Turbo Boosters now have 3 times more EPS Foam. EPS foam is the same material that is found in bike helmets. So, like a bike helmet which is is used to protect your head - its used in carseats to help protect your child. The foam absorbs the impact and gets smashed up, instead of your child. Gruesome, but that's the reality of it.

When we purchased our Graco 8497 Safe Seat TurboBooster I was already quite familiar with the Graco TurboBooster since we had one of the earlier models. Its an affordable, basic, safe seat and one that fit my child.

The seat retails for around $50 (some versions cost more or less depending on the seat cover and padding options) and is a belt positioning booster for children ages 3-10 years old that are between 38-57 inches tall and between 30 and 100 pounds. The seat converts to a backless booster seat for children 4-10 years old between 40 and 100 pounds and 40-57 inches tall. As you can see there is quite a bit of overlap in the use with or without the back. Without the back, there is a plastic clip on a nylon strap that can be used to help position the belt. We used our seat primarily as a belt positioning booster with the back in place, as that is what fits my son the best right now and is most comfortable for him.

Assembly of the Graco TurboBooster Safe Seat is quite simple and consists of first clicking the armrests into place and choosing from the higher or lower setting. Once they are in they need to be screwed into place so that they are secure. Our model, the 8497 also has padded armrest covers that slide on for extra comfort. Next, you put together the head support and back support. You squeeze the head support adjuster and the slide the two pieces together. Once attached you then slide them apart and will hear a "click". With the back of the seat put together you then can put on the fabric cover which secures with elastic bands. The seat cover on this booster can be easily taken off and machine washed, this is a must-have for us because my son spills often and also gets carsick. Now that you have the back together and the seat together you put the two pieces together by lining up a hinge and folding it into place. Now, your TurboBooster is ready to go!

This seat must always be used in a rear seat with a shoulder and lap belt combination. Also, note, that when its not occupied it should still be buckled in so that its not a projectile in the case of a sudden stop or accident. When you buckle this in, be sure that the shoulder belt is fed thru the open loop guide, which helps to keep it from snagging and allows the seatbelt to release and retract smoothly. You will also want to be sure that the lap belt is fed UNDER the armrests. The armrests don't swing up or out of the way like they do in the Evenflo Big Kid Deluxe seat, which would make things a lot easier. There are retractable cupholders located on both sides of the seat, for drinks or snacks. Its nice that they tuck out of the way when not in use.

As always, you will want to make sure the seat is adjusted properly for your child using the guidelines in the user manual. Unlike a lot of the seats I've tried, the Turbo Booster is very easy to adjust the seat's settings which are - 2 points of recline and six height positions for the head support.

Heads Up... Some trouble Ahead!

Now, lets talk about this head support piece - to which I sadly have an issue. As I mentioned about the TurboBooster Safe Seat, one of its main claims is that it has 3X more EPS foam to protect your child. The TurboBooster also had head wings which jut out a bit on each side of the support that "should" help support your child's head and increase comfort for a sleeping child. My son, at 6, still does fall asleep in the car - though less and less these days. The wings help from his head flopping all over the place a bit but if his head is going to tip far back or far forward its still going to (this kid can sleep in positions that would KILL me!).

All was well and good in the world of our Turbo Booster Safe Seat which we'd been using for about a year or so. Then, business as usual the other day when I loaded my son into his seat and buckled him in I heard a SNAP. My son announced that his seat was broken. Hrm... I looked and it seemed fine but I had him get out and I examined it. When I removed the seatcover for the headrest an entire side headwing EPS fell out! It had completely snapped off.. YIKES! So, since this seat is convertable to a backless booster I took the back off and we used it in backless mode until I could get home and take the seat out of my car. I quickly went out to replace it as soon as my husband got home because I needed/wanted a belt positioning booster with a back on it in my car. And, I wanted to call Graco to tell them what happened.

A call to the Graco customer service line and they are sending me out a free replacement head support piece for my seat. They couldn't offer any explanation to why it happened other than "sometimes these seats just wear out". I'm pleased they are replacing the head piece for free. However, I'm also pretty upset and freaked out about the fact that a seat that was less than a year old like that just broke outright. The seat was not involved in an accident nor was it involved in rough or foul play. My son is well within the height and weight ranges and was using the seat properly. For the fact that it snapped, I have to wonder if it hadn't been disintegrating, stressed or cracked in some time. It had been several months since I had last changed and washed the cover so I would have had no reason to look under and inspect the EPS foam for any damage.

1. Let this be a wake up call to everyone to regularly inspect your seat and have it checked by certified passenger safety techs on a regular basis.

2. Please, if you have the Safe Seat Turbo Booster - check your EPS head support and report it to Graco if there is a failure. I suspect that if this happens to enough people there could possibly be a recall down the road on this.

Because of the seat failing, I'm so torn on my recommendation. We loved this seat in so many ways. The seat is one of the easiest to use, install, adjust and it takes up a little amount of space while still being quite comfortable for a growing child. Graco provided me with excellent customer service in terms of the replacement, to which I'm thankful for. But, the bottom line is that this seat failed on us - so I can't recommend it. Surprisingly our previous generation turbo-booster without the triple EPS still has a head support in tact with no sign of wear and tear and more than 2 years of use under its belt.

www.gracobaby.com

My other Carseat Reviews

Evenflo Big Kid Deluxe Booster
Evenflo Secure Advantage I Convertible Car Seat
Graco Backless Turbo Booster 8491
Graco TurboBooster 8493
Graco Platinum CarGo 8489 Booster Seat
Graco SnugRide Infant Carseat
Britax Marathon
Britax Husky
Britax Roundabout
Britax Expressway
Century Bravo LX Deluxe 5-Point Newborn/Toddler Car Seat with Leather Trim
Baby Trend Latch-Loc 6169 Infant Car Seat






Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 49
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years