Mylriahd

Compared to performance upgrades and body kits, this is going to seem pretty mundane, BUT:

The car supports LATCH according to the brochure (and law I guess); for those of you out there with carseats using it, is it easy to put the carseat in the middle (passthrough) seat? I do this in my 4Runner currently, but don't know if LATCH specifies the width between brackets (and thereby could be too far apart for me to put the seat in the middle spot).

Anyone doing this? It's the "safest" place in the car for newborns. Thanks!

-Dan

jeovaz-TL

I am using it and it's pretty easy to use. I use the peg-perego brand car infant latch system seats.

TBone2004

On my '02 TL my wife insisted we get my installation job of the car seat checked by the local PD (they were offereing a free check and Q&A, - firstborn etc.) He claimed that only the left and right seats had the LATCH anchors, not the middle and that I was essentially using one of the left and one of the right LATCH brackets by putting it in the middle. Well, the car seat is in the middle bacause it is in there snug and I think he was making a bigger deal than necessary - hey, just doing his job I guess - so now to my question....

does the '04 TL (I have not checked - keep the boy outta my car for now!)
has 6 brackets or just 4? According to the police, it should have 3 sets of 2 = 6.

Does it?

Mylriahd

Thats exactly what I'm doing in the 4Runner right now, theres only 2 sets, 4 total brackets. I'm tieing the right bracket of the left seat to the left bracket of the right seat (point of view) so its in the middle. ANd yeah, its pretty snug; everything I read says middle is safest so I can't see why this wouldn't have been planned for.

I was just curious if the brackets could possibly be closer together in each seat, making it so my belt wouldn't reach (or at least, not without permanently embedding the base into the seat :sqnteek:

TLGator

Geez 3 sets of latches? Well I guess someone who is hauling three kids young enough to need car seats isn't going to notice rattles or other minor problems in the TL.

yzfrebel

I am currently using the middle. It seems snug to me. The manual says that the rear facing seats can be on either side or the middle. It does not specify about forward facing seats. I figure if it is ok for rear facing it is ok for forward facing seats.

Mylriahd

Great, thanks! No worries then.

kazuaki

According to Acura, only the outboard rear seats are LATCH equipped. Despite this, I am using the center position, just like the rest of you. The anchor spacing seems fine to me and I'd rather have my son away from the doors in case of a side impact...

1FasTL

Don't forget the side curtain bags could be a factor too! They probably don't come down far enough to worry about for an infant seat but if you're using a Booster Seat, the middle is still the best position (IMHO).

timnguyen9

The latch is pretty easy to use when positioning the child seat in the center. Don't forget to attach the rear latch above the child seat headrest. Be careful as the child seat will leave indentation in the leather if left too long.

need4spd

RTFM, you people are so concerned with the safest location, yet you ignore what the manufacture says, which is that the latch positions are the two outboard seats.

the middle is not designed for a latch based seat and has not been tested/certified for that use, so to use it for that purpose is crazy.

VOdoc

Given the vehemence of the preceding post, I won't venture an opinion on using the middle position with a LATCH seat, but as a surgeon I concur that the rear center position is the safest by far. I fail to understand why car manufacturers assume a maximum of 2 children per family when providing LATCH anchors (this is even true of the Honda Odyssey minivan).

Re: indentations on the seats--go to ToysRUs and get a $20 Seat Saver. It is a thick plastic mat that goes under the car seat. It lives up to its name!

Mylriahd

I dont have a TFM to R yet, which is why I asked. But to hell with what's been tested / certified, I'm not putting my kid next to the door if I can provide a perfectly safe place elsewhere. I'd love to see what the manual says; consider this: My 4Runner is set up the same way, with anchors only on either side. RTFM for the 4Runner, and it says in bold type: The center seat is the safest place for a child. (Echoing the car seat's instructions.)

So I'm not entirely convinced that just because the anchors aren't specifically in the middle space that it's not assumed you'd use it that way.

ibeplato

I have my Britax LATCHED to the rear passenger side seat as I sometimes need to use the other rear passenger seat for adults (or a 2nd car seat for the other kid). It went in fairly easily and is very snug.

One caution I've heard about using the center is that in a crash, the center pass-through cover can come ajar and fly into a rear-facing child, so I would be careful about not following manufacturers directions.

need4spd

I agree, why do people have to second guess the manufacture when it comes to these issues, they have tested it and found the best locations and indicated this in the manual. It would have been just as easy to say to use the center and align the hooks so that the center has the correct spacing for the latch system.

I did not mean to ruffle Mylriahd's feathers, and yes, I know it is stated many times that the middle is the safest, but that is not where Acura is telling you to put the seat.

Sorry, maybe the 4runner was designed to use the 4 hooks with three seating positions.

Thats the end of my rant.

TBone2004

Had mine all tied off for that very reason.

TBone2004

The problem lies with conflicting reports and studies. One authority tells you to do this the other contradicts that by saying that. That is where good judgment comes into play. Currently with one child right now, I keep him in the middle - following the theory that the risk is greater from a side impact etc. As with anything to each his own. I still see young kids in car seats in the front seat - or forward facing at 3 months, not buckled in at all, etc. etc. How many adults do you see that have their seat belts up at their necks instead of across their chest...I guess people need to do what makes them feel better - I bought the Britax seat because it was rated the #1 seat - other people say - heck I'm only using it for a few years so the $25 Walmart seat is good enough. Mine is in the center for now until #2 comes along, then we can all stare at the deep indentations I created by tightening the seat so much! Whatcha gonna do?

Center, or Sides must still be better than all our parents letting us ride around in the back part of station wagons or trucks etc.

Mylriahd

Ooh! How about a couch in the back of an old dodge van? hahaha. Ahem.

You didn't ruffle my feathers Need4Speed; I should have put a few smileys in there. My point was that in a world where lawyers scare companies into putting something down that isn't necessarily for the best, but whats easiest to defend legally, I'm not so sure the manual is my gaurdian angel. The pass through cushion can't come down with the rear-facing seat in the middle spot (at least not my seat.) That carseat is hugging the seat so tightly that it is GOING to leave marks in the seat, probably permanent. So i'm not worried about that so much as having damaged seats as the price for having kids. Ratcheting that belt into the middle spot is just as tight as ratcheting into a side seat (I tested this myself). The amount of give is about equal in both spots which is really the point I think.

Do please forgive me however if I don't give you an opportunity to say "I told you so" if something happens to my son specifically because I use the middle seat.

VOdoc

In case you missed this--there's no need to ruin your seats.

Regards,

VOdoc

need4spd

No problem, I guess after writing warnings and safety instructions in codes and standards for so long (sort of in the safety engineering buisness), I take slight offense when people do not pay attention to what is written.

There was an article in one of the big mags how all the codes and standards out there is changing the natural evolution of the human race in that we protect those who should have been filtered out in the natural selection process, not saying you are one, but kind of makes you think what all the safety standards and snake eye/tongued lawyers are doing to make people dumber and more reliant on automatic stuff as they can not think for themselves.

Please, no offense to anyone, but it is kind of an interesting fact, and was discussed at many meetings how we need to protect people from themselves. In Germany and many other Euro countries, it is unimaginable not to read the manual FIRST, before using the item, here in good old USA, it comes later, generally out of the trash when the item does not work after trying it for the furst time

We all survived our childhoods without car seats, and built in safety this and that?

Important thing is just to have fun.

Mylriahd

I DID miss that, very good to know. Thanks!

dawarner

dawarner

Sorry for the late reply, but I just saw this thread...

It has already been mentioned, but I'd like to reiterate that LATCH should not be used in the middle position if not certified by the vehicle manufacturer. In my experience (checking 30+ seats each month), less than 10% of new vehicles certify LATCH for use in the middle position. Subaru comes to mind as one of the few that do. Often, there are two separate bars, one on each outboard position, to which the LATCH anchors are attached. They will hold the seat in place fine until a collision. The bars are designed to be torqued evenly in a collision, and taking one end of each bar can cause them to bend/shift.

Yes, the middle is by far the safest. Side-impact airbags do not seem to pose a threat, but side impacts (common from intersection collisions) do. Any extra space to protect from a lateral intrusion is beneficial.

That said, LATCH does not provide a safety benefit compared to a seat belt, assuming proper installation -- both methods of installation meet the same standards. (The vast majority of child safety seats are improperly used in one way or another). I often install seats in new vehicles using the seat belt in the middle position, even with LATCH available. If you can get a good fit with the seat belt in the middle position, the system is more safe than using LATCH in an outboard position.

There are pros and cons to each method. Some seats simply do not fit in certian vehicles or certian positions; sometimes multiple seats have to be placed in outboard positions. But please, after running out and buying a $250 Britax seat, follow directions from both the seat and vehicle manufacturer.

NHTSA FAQ on LATCH: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/LATCH/QandA.html

SpecialFX

I agree. I use the center position for my daughter. I use the center belt and the LATCH anchors to secure the seat. It's a pain to have the seat in the middle because it limits the space for outboard passengers. But if they don't like it they can stay home. Then again, they serve as extra padding for my girl if there is a side impact.

TBone2004

Britax car seat here. Installed in wife's 2002 3.2 TL with LATCH on outboard sides only. Seat is in middle with LATCH (from each side) and I have the seat belt going through it as well. That seat and anyone in it is not going anywhere and is completely safe.

I just wish more people would USE car seats so I would stop seeing kids loose in the car or sitting in the back with the seatbelt draped across their necks cause their parents are too cheap or stupid to get them a booster or appropriate seat etc. People are dumb.

When my family grows to two, I will go outboard LATCH and Seatbelts too.

boltjames

Folks, you need to go here and read what it says about LATCH and center seats:

http://www.car-safety.org/latch.html

Do what they say and what the manufacturer of the car / seat say. Do not do what your gut tells you to do or justify breaking safety rules because when we were kids we were thrown on the passenger floor of mom's '68 Beetle. If the TL was meant to have LATCH in the center they'd have installed the appropriate hardware. They didn't. There's a reason.

BJ

Furio

The manual says nothing about not using the center seat that I could find. I spoke with a policeman who informed me that because of the airbags, the center seat MAY be safer, so do not take this word as being 100% correct.

I currently keep my baby's rear facing seat in the center when we travel. One other thing to consider is that there is a center top latch in the 2004 TL. If Honda/Acura believed the center position was unsafe, then why include this feature? Just my . The person who said to check your car seat manufacturer is 100% correct. Always adhere to their reccomendations IMHO. In the end people, just use your own judgement based on the facts that you have before you becuase you are the one responsible for the child's safety and no one else.