Consumer Reports is NOT a reliable resource for carseat safety information -- techs have been grumbling for years about their crash test results being different than everyone else & not repeatable.... They were finally caught red handed with a massive crash test fiasco >
ConsumerReports.org - How our car seat tests went wrong 5/07 < testing at a speed in which it would be a miracle for anyone to survive & which accounts for a teeny tiny percentage of all crashes (about 70% of crashes are about 30 PMH or less). It's good that they're helping to encourage manufacturers to make seats easier, but their information is biased & not technically sound.
Consumer Reports is not a part of NHTSA. NHTSA's rating system is only ease of use, but is also quite subjective because each person finds different features easier depending on inidividual tastes/abilities & vehicle, etc.