top tether limit in hondas

[mommyto2angelgirls]

ok i'm confused while at the dealership today for some electrical problem they can't figure out in my car i decided to ask about the latch and top tethers. i was told that both are only to be used till 40lbs. what is that is that true. what am i supposed to do i have my marathon installed with latcha as my daughter is under 40 lbs and the top tether. does this mean once she hits 40 i can't use the top tether..don't all seats need the top tether done....what do i do. i'm so mad i paid 35,000 for a odessey and i can't use the top tethers. please tell me the guy i talked to was just an idiot. i searched for other threads and found one from canada where a women was told the same thing by honda. does anyone know the truth on this i am searching the manual but i was hoping someone on here might know.

[Jeanum]

While you're supposed to use the seatbelt to install in Hondas once the child reaches Honda's 40 lbs. LATCH limit, it's recommended to continue using the top tether because of the benefits of top tethering. Top tethering reduces head excursion and the tether serves as a secondary attachment for the child restraint, while the lower LATCH anchors or seatbelt serve as the primary attachment which take the brunt of collision forces. These two links from the Safe Ride News (also the authors of the LATCH manual) explain the top tethering recommendation in depth: http://www.saferidenews.com/html/LATCH_P49.htm and http://www.saferidenews.com/html/LATCH_P8.htm

[Patriot201]

While I will ABSOLUTELY discontinue use of the lower anchors in my car when the kiddos hit 40 pounds, I have already made the personal decision to continue using the top tether.

That is my own personal decision, though. Honda says 40 pounds. :whistle:

[joolsplus3]

Keep using the top tether, all the time. They don't fail, they do help make even heavy kids safer. If Honda really thought they'd fail at 40, they would put markings and warnings and stickers all over the manual and car. Since they don't even mention it anywhere except to SafeRideNews, it's a pretty safe bet they don't really think it's unsafe to use past 40 pounds (and the SAME cars in Canada are safe to use the LATCH till 65...crazy, isn't it?)

[TechnoGranola]

(and the SAME cars in Canada are safe to use the LATCH till 65...crazy, isn't it?)According to my conversation with Robert at Honda Canada today, Canadian Hondas are 40 pounds just like their U.S. counterparts. In fact, he told me that the reason the limit is the same is because they are the same vehicles (which isn't totally true as I've got a feature on mine not available on a U.S. model but obviously the "bones" are the same). I asked him the question last Thursday and he though there weren't any limits, but he said he'd consult with the "quality engineering department" and get back to me. Today he got back to me with the 40 pounds for both lower anchors and top tethers (although he calls "tethers", "tEEthers" :)).

When I asked what we were supposed to do with child restraints that harnessed past 40 pounds here (like the ones that harness to 47, 48 and 65), he told me that at 40 pounds kids could use a booster so that is what I was supposed to do. He had the LATCH limits of every manufacturer in front of him and also the manufacturer's of child restraints above 65 pounds to try and counter my arguments, but he just ended up annoying me. GRRR.

[mommyto2angelgirls]

thank you. what would using the top tether hurt. i mean in a crash do they really think it will rip out of the seat or come unwelded however it is attached. i plan on using it at long as a seat says i need to. i'm looking at the frontier and i'm sure that needs a top tether.

[Niea]

While I will ABSOLUTELY discontinue use of the lower anchors in my car when the kiddos hit 40 pounds, I have already made the personal decision to continue using the top tether.

That is my own personal decision, though. Honda says 40 pounds. :whistle:

I am making the same choice.