RF Tether Location Confusion

[Knittingfor4]

After talking to my friend and visiting the Sienna forum, I've noticed there is great confusion as to where to tether a RF seat. Alot of people are running the tether under the seat and around to the FF tether anchor. I was told not to do this. My tech used a short strap that he pulled off the car seat somewhere with a loop on one end and metal on the other. He looped it around under the driver seat and fed the metal through the loop and hooked the tether to that. Some people are tethering to the bars that you attach the removable second row seats to. My friend has the manual to the van and she says it's not helpful at all and the people at Toyota don't have a clue either. So where the heck do you tether a RF seat - I'm speaking specifically for the Sienna 05, but I guess it would apply to many other vans as well. Thanks.

[Patriot201]

Any UNMOVABLE part that is "behind" the carseat is fine.

I always tether to the seat track or seatbelt stalk in all the vehicles in which I have installed RF tethers.

It sounds like the tech used the D-ring. :)
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/patriot20171/Carseat%20stuff/Boulevard/DSC_2396.jpg

[featherhead]

In general it needs to be angled toward the front of the vehicle, to a non-moving vehicle part, such as the leg of a seat. For your particular vehicle, I have no idea:)

[azgirl71]

I am not familiar with the Sienna, but i can tell you that you tech did the correct thing with the D-Ring. You wrap it around non moveable part that is bolted to the frame and attach the tether to it. This could be a seat track or leg, even a seatbelt stalk.

[Jeanum]

Britax doesn't allow you to tether downward toward or underneath and around the vehicle seat upon which the RF Britax convertible seat is installed. Britax allows RF tethering directly over the convertible carseat toward the vehicle seat's tether anchor intended for forward facing tethering, called the Australian method, which makes it pretty awkward to get the child in and out of the carseat, unfortunately. Britax also allows RF tethering toward the front of the vehicle using the RF D-ring tether connector strap that comes with every Britax convertible carseat to create an anchor point.

In the '04 and newer Siennas, you can RF tether to back of the front seat leg if you pop off a plastic cover off the leg to create enough clearance to loop the RF D-ring top tether connector strap around the seat leg. (The RF D-ring tether connector strap comes with every Britax convertible seat and also with the Sunshine Kids Radian convertible, the only convertible seats designed and approved for RF tethering). There's a super helpful online video on the CarSeatSite's YouTube channel showing how to RF tether a Britax convertible to the front seat leg in an '05 Sienna at http://youtube.com/watch?v=2upADev-UrM :thumbsup:

[Knittingfor4]

Yes, that's what my tech did! Thanks for the video, I'm going to post that over on the Sienna forum, and send it to my friend right away!