Questions about LATCH in Dodge Stratus

[SamPacey&Joshua]

My son will soon be going for visits with his father and riding in his car, which is a 2004 Dodge Stratus. His carseat for that car is a Cosco Scenera and he is rear-facing.

I installed the seat a few days ago on the passenger side with LATCH. I would really rather his seat be in the middle, but I wasn't sure if it was okay to do so with LATCH and I could not, for the life of me, get it installed correctly with the seatbelt and locking clip.

I looked in the car's manual to see if it was okay to use LATCH in the center position, but it said nothing at all about it. There are 4 LATCH anchors in the seat crease.

Does anyone know if it is safe to use LATCH in the center of a 2004 Dodge Stratus??

[CPSDarren]

If the manual doesn't mention it, then it is probably not allowed. Chrysler does allow this in some of their vehicles, but the manuals clearly explain when and how you may do it.

If it's installed and used correctly, a rear-facing seat with a 5-point harness will be very safe in an outboard seating position. The middle may be a slight advantage, but certainly not like the choice of front seat or back where we have statistics showing a significant improvement. Any back seating position is fine if the child can be properly restrained there.

[SamPacey&Joshua]

Thanks! I appreciate the quick response. I figured it wasn't allowed since the manual didn't say anything at all about it, which is why I just put it outboard. Thanks again!

[shellebelle]

I'm curious as to what trouble the Scenera was giving you with the center install. We had an '04 Stratus as a rental a few years ago and the only funky thing about the back seat I noticed was that it was really, really uncomfortable :) I was freshly a tech too, so I was checking it out.

Was the lightweight locking latchplate not holding well? In the Stratus we had they were good and snug--I actually cranked them down on my lap and they were quite nice (especially when we were in a crash).

As Darren said, the outer position is certainly safe, especially when you can get a better installation there. But some of us might know a trick or two to help you get it in the center.

[SamPacey&Joshua]

From what I seen, the seatbelts had sliding latchplates and the belts were the ones that you pull out all the way and they lock when they retract. I can check again next week to be sure though.

My Cavalier has lightweight locking latchplates and I got a great install with my younger son's Snugride. I thought I looked at the latchplates on the Stratus, but maybe I didn't look close enough!

[ShyGecko]

I wanted to reply and say that I have a 2004 Stratus, and my LATCH manual says that you CAN use LATCH in the center! It is the first thing I looked up in it! LOL

[papooses]

Can you tell us which page?

[ShyGecko]

Page 139, here is a scan of it, saying you can: http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/ShyGecko/LATCHDS2004.jpg

[SamPacey&Joshua]

So techs...should I move the carseat to the center and install it with LATCH?

[joolsplus3]

hmmm... tricky... depends on what the seat says... they have to specify that it's ok to use non-standard (more or less than 280mm/11 inches) distanced LATCH. Call them and ask?

[CPSDarren]

If the vehicle manufacturer designates it as a LATCH seating position in the owner's manual, then it should be OK to use with any LATCH equipped child restraint. Presumably, this implies that it is the standard spacing and specifications. The LATCH manual is a very good guideline, but it really should be indicated in the vehicle owner's manual, too.

If the vehicle owner's manual has some special note about using the center position regarding non-standard spacing of the anchors, then you would have to verify this with the child restraint manufacturer.

[joolsplus3]

Thanks, Darren :)

[ShyGecko]

If the vehicle manufacturer designates it as a LATCH seating position in the owner's manual, then it should be OK to use with any LATCH equipped child restraint. Presumably, this implies that it is the standard spacing and specifications. The LATCH manual is a very good guideline, but it really should be indicated in the vehicle owner's manual, too.

I looked in my vehicle owner's manual, for a 2004 Dodge Stratus, and this is what I found:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/ShyGecko/CLATCHDS2004.jpg

It does say that you can use all three lower anchor positions, so long as you don't use one anchor for two seats at the same time.