How do I properly secure a car seat in the rear seat?

How do I properly secure a car seat in the rear seat?
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Car seats or booster seats meant for restraining children are either secured via the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system compatible anchors or by using the vehicle’s seat belts to secure the seat. Here are a few steps to ensure your car seat is installed into the rear seats of your vehicle safely and securely:

Put the car seat on the center of the vehicle’s seat and make sure it rests in a natural, level position.
Carefully read the manual to your car seat to ensure that you know how the seat belt should be properly looped through the child restraint and whether or not the seat needs to be tethered at the top to be secured.
Loop the lap and shoulder belts through the car seat and fasten the latch plate into the seat belt buckle. After it is secured, pull the shoulder belt all of the way out and then let it retract, as this will

lock the belt in place. Push down on the car seat and pull on the shoulder bet to remove slack.

If the seat needs a top tether, then locate the top tether anchors either on the tops of the passenger seat or against the rear panel (regular cab only).

If using the seatback-mounted tether anchors, loop the tether(s) through both the tether anchor on the seat the car seat is secured into and the center tether anchor.
If using a tether anchor mounted onto the rear panel, then the tether needs to be uncovered and the tether(s) coming from the seat must not stretch over the headrest.

Tips

To check the car seat once installed, grab ahold of it and move it back and forth. If it moves more than an inch in any direction, it needs to be secured further or re-installed.
Child restraints cannot be mounted in the center passenger seating positions for safety reasons.

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1) Rear Middle: The Safest Spot!

Although statistically this is the safest location, we know it might not always be very practical or even possible because of the size of the seat or the lack of a seat belt or ISOFIX points of your vehicle.

If you place only one car seat in the back seat, install it in the center of the seats. Just make sure it can fit well there. Placing the car seat in the center lowers the risk of injury during a crash.
Trucks come in all different shapes, sizes, and configurations. A truck with full size rear seats is the safest as you can simply put the car seat in the back and they fit accordingly without any issues. Trucks also come in both single cab and also half size.
What is the reason for this? The perception that the seat behind the driver`s seat is the safest in a head-on collision is mainly due to technological reasons. The frontal controlled crumple zone naturally receives the first wave of impact.
Tethering Rear Facing Car Seats

Some car seats and vehicles allow a seat to be tethered rear facing. In Europe this is far more common, in Australia it`s required, but in the United States very few car seat manufacturers permit tethering rear facing. Canada has said that rear facing tethering is not permitted at all.

Install in the Backseat

The car seat should always be installed in the back seat. That is the safest spot for your baby. If you can, put the car seat in the center seat. If not, it is fine behind either the driver or passenger side.

Lean Back (A Little) The angle of your seat back should be a little greater than a perpendicular 90 degrees. At 100 to 110 degrees, the seat will put the least pressure on your back. Leaning too far back forces you to push your head and neck forward, which can cause neck and shoulder pain and tingling in the fingers.
The safest place in the vehicle is the centre of the back seat, being positioned the furthest point away from any possible point of impact.
The left-side and the right-side of the back seat are both appropriate positions for the second car seat. Many people have opinions on which is the safest position, but highway safety reports show that there is no statistical difference in terms of safety.
Yes. Take a look at how the Latch system and each car seat scored below in our Car Seat Check of the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado.
Place the car seat base in the back seat of your vehicle. In a crash, the back seat is the safest place to be, and rear-facing car seats provide extra protection for your child`s head, neck and spine.
There was also a higher risk when the baby was loosely buckled into the seat — and when left alone in the car. This is why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infant car seats only be used for travel. That`s what they were designed for: to keep babies safe in the event of a crash or other travel event.
If your car doesn`t have top tethers anchors — some older models don`t — your car dealer can retrofit them for any car dating back to 1989. Just step into a dealership; they can do it for you or provide you with an anchor kit.
The rear passenger seats may be more dangerous than the driver`s seat simply because rear passengers are less likely to wear their seatbelts than the driver is. There are a variety of factors that may contribute to this.
Dangers Of The Passenger Side

While front-end and rear-end collisions are the most common types of traffic collisions, the passenger side is more likely to be hit in a side-impact collision.

Tethers are used with forward-facing car seats that have a harness. Using a top tether is essential. To understand why, think about how a car seat is installed into a car. First, either the seat belt or two lower attachments secure the bottom of the car seat to the car.
Either seat belt or LATCH, when used correctly, are equally safe. There are many things to keep in mind when deciding which method to use for your child`s car seat. Child`s weight – If your child`s weight is over the LATCH limit, then the decision to use a seat belt installation is an easy one as it`s your only option.
The handle is often required to be upright, or forward towards the baby`s feet when driving. This is because your child`s seat can rebound in a collision, and having the handle in the correct position prevents this from happening.
If you`re looking for a convertible car seat for your extended cab truck, the Britax Boulevard ClickTight is an excellent option. Britax Boulevard accommodates children rear-facing from 5 to 40 pounds and forward-facing from 20 to 65 pounds.
The certified child-safety seat technicians at sister site Cars.com check the vehicles we test-drive to see how well and how many child-safety seats a vehicle can handle. Most of the full-size pickups they`ve tested accomplish something many families need: They accommodate three child-safety seats in the rear seat.
The Center for Auto Safety, a consumer group, believes that jump seats are unsafe. “If you are hit by a large truck, you could be squashed like a pancake,” said Russell Shew, a vehicle safety researcher at the center. “The probability of injury is very high. These are the least safe seats in a car.”
On rear-facing car seats, the shoulder straps should come through the car seat slots at or just BELOW your child`s shoulders. On forward-facing seats, the shoulder straps should be at or just ABOVE the shoulders.
Yet, a recent study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows that the backseat is no longer the safest place to sit. In fact, you are more likely to survive a car crash when sitting in the front seat.
To install the onBoard 35 without the base, thread the lap portion of the vehicle seat belt through the open belt guides on the carrier portion of the seat. Lock the vehicle seat belt, add weight to the seat while pulling the seat belt is pulled tight.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

How do I properly secure a car seat in the rear seat?
ANSWER : Car seats or booster seats meant for restraining children are either secured via the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system compatible anchors or by using the vehicle’s seat belts to secure the seat. Here are a few steps to ensure your car seat is installed into the rear seats of your vehicle safely and securely:

Put the car seat on the center of the vehicle’s seat and make sure it rests in a natural, level position.
Carefully read the manual to your car seat to ensure that you know how the seat belt should be properly looped through the child restraint and whether or not the seat needs to be tethered at the top to be secured.
Loop the lap and shoulder belts through the car seat and fasten the latch plate into the seat belt buckle. After it is secured, pull the shoulder belt all of the way out and then let it retract, as this will

lock the belt in place. Push down on the car seat and pull on the shoulder bet to remove slack.

If the seat needs a top tether, then locate the top tether anchors either on the tops of the passenger seat or against the rear panel (regular cab only).

If using the seatback-mounted tether anchors, loop the tether(s) through both the tether anchor on the seat the car seat is secured into and the center tether anchor.
If using a tether anchor mounted onto the rear panel, then the tether needs to be uncovered and the tether(s) coming from the seat must not stretch over the headrest.

Tips

To check the car seat once installed, grab ahold of it and move it back and forth. If it moves more than an inch in any direction, it needs to be secured further or re-installed.
Child restraints cannot be mounted in the center passenger seating positions for safety reasons.

Read Full Q/A … : How do I properly secure a car seat in the rear seat?

How do I properly secure a car seat in the front passenger seat?
ANSWER : The front passenger seat can safely hold a forward-facing car seat. The front passenger seat does have an airbag in front of it, but the airbag can either be manually turned off with the vehicle’s key via a switch in the glove compartment or, if there is not manual switch, the truck will sense whether or not a car seat is in the front passenger seat. Here’s how to install a child restraint, like a car seat or booster seat, into your vehicle:

Put the car seat on the center of the seat that you wish to secure it to and make sure it rests in a natural, level position.
Carefully read the manual to your car seat to ensure that you know how the seat belt should be properly looped through the child restraint and whether or not the seat needs to be tethered at the top to be secured.
Loop the lap and shoulder belts through the car seat and fasten the latch plate into the seat belt buckle. After it is secured, pull the shoulder belt all of the way out and then let it retract, as this will lock the belt in place. Push down on the car seat and pull on the shoulder bet to remove slack.
If the seat needs a top tether, then locate the top tether anchors either on the tops of the passenger seat or against the rear panel (regular cab only).

If using the seatback-mounted tether anchors, loop the tether(s) through both the tether anchor on the seat the car seat is secured into and the center tether anchor.
If using a tether anchor mounted onto the rear panel, then the tether needs to be uncovered and the tether(s) coming from the seat must not stretch over the headrest.

Tips

Do not install a car seat in the center passenger seat. This is dangerous as the center seats, if available, are not designed to secure a car seat.
Rear-facing car seats cannot be used in the front passenger seat. The airbag can be deactivated, but even the slight chance of it going off in a crash is too great. A child in a rear-facing seat during a crash is likely to suffer a broken neck or skull.
Shake the seat around once it is installed to ensure that it is secure. If it moves more than an inch in any direction, tighten the seat belt or re-install the car seat.

Read Full Q/A … : How do I properly secure a car seat in the rear seat?

How do I properly secure a LATCH compatible car seat into my seats?
ANSWER : If you are using a LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) compatible car seat, you are already off to a good start as the LATCH system uses a standard set of attachments and tethers to consistently install car seats safely into the seats of many different vehicles. The vehicle is compatible with these car seats. If you are looking to install a LATCH compatible seat into your vehicle, here is the best way:

Clear the area on and around the seat on which the car seat will be secured. Make sure no pieces of fabric, seat covers, and seat belts, get caught under the car seat.
Once the seat is cleared off and set as far back as possible (if it’s a front seat). The the car seat can be set onto the seat in the center of the seat. Either a single or a double tether will be attached to the top of the car seat.

3a. If your truck is a regular cab model, take the tether(s) and attach the tether to the upper tether anchor. This anchor is located behind the front passenger seat on the rear panel. Lean the seat forward slightly and remove the plastic plug labeled with the “anchor” symbol to access the tether anchor. Single tether systems will route the tether underneath the head restraint while double tether systems will route the tethers around both sides of the headrest.

3b. If the truck has and extended cab or crew cab, then the upper tether anchor is located on the top of the seatback. The tether should be looped through the tether atop the passenger seat that the car seat is positioned on along with the loop over the center seat. This ensures that, even though the seat is secured to the moveable setback it is still secured by multiple points.

Secure the two lower anchors to the anchor points located between the seat cushion and the seatback. The car seat, if it is LATCH compatible, will come with two attachments that secure the seat to the lower anchor points. This is the same on the front and rear passenger seats along with the driver side rear seat.

Tips

If the vehicle is involved in a crash, pieces of the LATCH compatible points may need to be replaced if they were secured to a car seat during the crash.
Some manufacturers may suggest the lower anchor points be secured first with the upper tether(s) secured after.
Test the seat when installed by trying to move it on the seat. If it moves more than an inch, tighten the straps or re-install

Read Full Q/A … : How do I properly secure a car seat in the rear seat?

Nissan altima 2013 rear seat latch is broken and I cannot fold down the seat. How do I repair the broken seat latch? What should I
ANSWER : Hello, thank you for writing in. Correcting the issue will involve finding out what the exact issue is first. The latch has a handle that is pulled to release it. If the handle is broken, and you cannot release the latch, you will need to replace the handle. They typically screw or bolt on with ease. If the latch itself is broken, then you will have to manually release the latch with a screw driver or other means first before replacing the entire latch unit. For more help with the repair, contact our service department to schedule an appointment.

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I put the wrong key in my car and a few weeks later my car just shut down and it will not start I believe it’s the computer but…
ANSWER : Hi there. What had happened is the wrong key set the security to the vehicle. This is to prevent the vehicle from starting with the wrong keys. Try removing the battery cables (+) and (-) for 13 minutes. During that time, put the original key in the ignition and turn it on. Activate everything in the car even though there is no power. Then remove the key and hook up the battery cables. The computer should have reset and reset the security. If the security is still being tripped, then I recommend seeking out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you

Read Full Q/A … : How do I properly secure a car seat in the rear seat?

Car crash and SRS light
ANSWER : Hey there. It is likely that your front impact sensor was damaged during the frontal collision but not with enough force to deploy the air bags. There is a threshold for how hard a vehicle must be hit in order to deploy the airbags that is set by the manufacturer that may not have been met. When the SRS light is illuminated, this means that the air bags will not deploy in the event of an accident, even if it is hit hard enough. I would recommend having the frontal collision sensor inspected and replaced if necessary by the dealer or a professional who is proficient in air bag repair.

Read Full Q/A … : How do I properly secure a car seat in the rear seat?

Driver car seat has a folding issue.
ANSWER : Hi there. Check the seat lever and see if it is moving correctly. There may be a lock on the back of the seat that overrides the seat tilt that can allow the seat to tilt all the way back. If the seat is not able to work properly, then you can switch out the seat as long as the seat is the same and the position sensor can bolt up to the rail on the other seat. Plus the mounting bolt holes will have to align up to mount the seat properly to make the seat secure. If you need further assistance with seat not tilting, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.

Read Full Q/A … : How do I properly secure a car seat in the rear seat?

Replaced alternator on car 2 times each time shows it’s charging 14v let car run for a little bit then test drive and car voltage
ANSWER : There are reports that the replacement alternators will not communicate with the engine computer and will not charge correctly. I recommend using only the manufacturer approved replacement part. It can be new or remanufactured but approved for use in the vehicle. Some lower cost alternators on the aftermarket will have charging problems since they will not communicate with the ECM on the vehicle and will stop charging.

Read Full Q/A … : How do I properly secure a car seat in the rear seat?

Eric smoalih

I am a certified master technician with the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), and I have been working as an auto mechanic for over 15 years. I am passionate about my work, and I take great pride in helping people keep their cars running smoothly.