Dynafit binding failures

FWIW: Dynafit/Salewa replaced my Radical v1 binding a month ago...

My more recent Dynafits have an annoying failure. The little flip-tab-intermediate-heel-lifter spring is busted, so that little tab flops all around. If I'm skinning somewhere flattish, the tab flops down and I get a surprise heel lift. If I want it down it has a tendency to flop back up so I don't get the lift. Now I just tether it to the high-heel lift so I know that it won't flop around, but it's annoying not being able to use the shorter heel lift since I usually use that one a lot.

Anyone else get that failure? They are a few years old at this point, but I would definitely consider them lightly used. (young kids = not a whole lot of skiing...) I wonder if there is a cheap fix without replacing the whole heel.

Try going through a Dynafit dealer, they are supposed to mention the replacement program to owners of the first generation Radical heels (which you have) and send them in for the customer. They don't mention anything about vintage or state of binding integrity. The second generation housing has a reinforcing rib at the rear of the cylinder and thicker walls around the pivot post. You will have to remove the heels from the post to ship them - don't unscrew the base from the ski, just send the top part.

Bought a pair of brakes for my vertical St's at the north bend mountain shop and the shop guy put them on for me. Now and then one of the brakes would work itself out of its inserted place while touring and I would have to pressure it back in until it clicked. No big thing but then earlier this season when that happened the brake broke the plastic part on the binding that secured it in the flat walk mode so I took them off, and filed the broken plastic piece so it wouldn't affect my boot heel. Back to leashes. The brakes are one year old and back in the bag with instruction sheet and receipt so I guess I'll find out if I can get my money back or trade value at the shop, when I get over that way.

After over a week of slow, discombobulated replies apparently from various people all from the same email address at Salewa, but not a single phone call as requested, and only after I sent them a link to their very own voluntary Gen 1 Radical voluntary recall notice, they grudgingly agreed to replace my broken bindings. When I asked them why I had to go find out about the recall myself instead of them telling me, they said this is their busy time of year. Huh?

I'm glad to have them replaced, but I won't be recommending their bindings to people as I have been for the better part of 20 years.

Dynafits were never Plug and Play IME. It pays to know your gear. It's strengths, weaknesses and peculiarities. All of which are identified on the internet if you look.