Why can't you use the latch anchors in center position?

[acerven2]

What is the big deal about latching in the centered position? I have a 04 Saturn Ion, can I latch in the center?

[Jeanum]

You can do a center lower LATCH install in your Saturn if your Ion is the 4-door model, because it has a designated set of lower LATCH anchors for the center, as well as in each outboard seating position. (The quad-coupe Ion only has outboard seating positions and no center rear seat at all). Many other vehicle models only have sets of lower LATCH anchors in the outboard rear seating positions, and only certain vehicle manufacturers and carseat manufacturers allow "borrowing" of the outboard lower LATCH anchors to do a center LATCH installation. Another member and tech posted a helpful article on the subject of center LATCH in the articles forum at: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=33718

[KristiD761]

If the center spacing is greater than the standard distance, car manufacturers sometimes do not allow it. Also, crash testing using the inner two for the center may not have been done, so they do not know how the seat will perform in a crash attached that way.
Bottom line, you just follow what the manuals say...for the car and the seat.