Customer Reviews

InStep Fire Truck Pedal Car

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

My 2 1/2 year old nephew received this for Christmas and was very excited. However, two hours later when his dad, grandpa, and uncle (all highly skilled engineer-types) were still working on sorting out the nuts, bolts, and how to fix the bent axle so that the pedals would actually turn, he was sitting staring sadly with his head on the steering wheel saying, "But it's my truck . . ."

Grandpa commented that they sure hadn't changed how they make pedal trucks from the 1940s when his best friend got one. This is a good thing (durable construction) and a bad thing (lots of pieces and parts, heavy, hard to steer and pedal if you're small enough to fit in the thing.) Once it was put together and my nephew crawled in, it was apparent he was not going to be able to make it move by himself, at least on the short carpet in the basement. And he is a tall, strong, coordinated 2 1/2 year old. His four year old sister started pushing him, which simply led to crashing into walls and cabinets--their dad started scheming how to use pipe insulation to fashion bumpers and save the finish of his recent remodel until the snow melted in the spring and it could move outside.

All in all, my feeling is that if you want a sturdy, old-school, good-looking gift for a strong kid who loves trucks, this is for him or her. If you want something easier to put together that is light and easy enough to pedal/steer for most little ones, you might want to consider something cheap and plastic that will fall apart in a couple of years. One note on durability: my brother and I had a cast-iron John Deer pedal tractor (very similar design) 35 years ago and it still works!

A perfect grandparents' gift for a 2-7 year old. It looked special under the tree and was a HUGE success as a gift. It is very sturdy, with no sharp edges and plenty to stimulate the imagination of an active toddler and young child. It took about 2 hours to assemble, but was well worth the time.

Love this! My grandson can't get enough of it. My only disappointment was it was left outside in the sun and the paint turned sort of purplish.

The product itself is a neat toy, but when we put ours together, a couple of the pieces were scratched to the point of dissatisfaction. It is hard to pedal. Our son will have to gain quite a bit of muscle strength in his legs before he will be able to pedal and by that time comes, he may be too big to ride it. For what we received for the cost of this item, I would not recomend this toy. Buy a bike instead.

my 4 year old loves this and it is definetly big enough. My munchkin is 54 lbs and really tall. He love this and it is really an awesome product.

I was pleasantly surprised when I began assembling this truck at how fairly simple it was assemble. It took me a while, around an hour and a half, but everything fit, the instructions were clear, and I even managed to avoid any roof blowing temper tantrums.

The truck looks like it will last a while and I only have two minor issues.

The placement of the ladders around the cockpit where the child sits makes it awkward for little legs and bodies to get in and out. True, the ladders do come off very easy and they can be put on again in one second, but little hands and legs have a way of tripping over themselves and bringing home scrapes and bruises.

I think they need to re-engineer the pedals and the pedal travel on the truck. The pedal movement travels in an almost a completely horizontal path. More like two legs pumping rather than pedaling. Further, one complete pedal cycle only moves the truck about a foot. Not the most efficient mode of travel.

Still, my son loves it.

We bought this pedal car for our grandson this past Christmas. We put it together and suprisingly, it wasn't that difficult. We weren't able to wrap it so we sat it in front of the tree among the other gifts and he went straight for it. He climbed right in and has had many, many hours of fun ever since. This thing is made so well. It is a lot more durable than we expected. It has risen above all of his other ride on toys to become his favorite. It has a lot of nice features too. Like the removable ladders and the bell. You can also adjust the reach of the pedals as they grow. Considering how well it's made, i'm quite certain it will be an heirloom for his grandchildren some day.

OK, no comments about the date. I still remember it clearly.
This was bought as a gift for my grandson.
My daughter, son-in-law and especially my grandson, LOVE THIS TRUCK.
My daughter likes the style and the fact that he will get exercise using it.
My son-in-law likes the construction and materials.
My grandson likes the bell.
Win-win-win.

Presto! I'm a hero

The car is terrific - but VERY heavy. I found it difficult to put together by myself. My 2 and 3 year old grandsons were so excited. They can't pedal yet - but will learn. I am looking forward to their having years of enjoyment. The product is well worth the money.

We ordered this fire truck pedal car for Christmas. We ordered it end of November and put it together early just in case there were any issues. Unfortunately there was one issue - a pedal that wouldn't attach because they sent a malfunctioning bolt set. We have had to call them, had the wrong repair piece sent, and after three weeks still don't have the correct piece. Their customer service folks have been incredibly difficult to deal with. We are thinking about doing a return and buying it elsewhere. The car is really cute, but it's not worth the hassle of dealing with these people.