Is there any way to confirm this?

[mybabysmomma]

We bought an 09 Town and Country a couple of months ago. I was having trouble reading the manual (yay sleep deprivation) and ended up calling Chrysler's CS to get the answer.

In the process of finding out the answer to my question, I was told that you cannot use a seatbelt to install a child restraint when you are installing the restraint in the center position of 3rd row. The seat must be installed with LATCH. (The only TT point in the 3rd row is in the center position.)

Is there any way to find out if this is infact true? I didn't see anything that said this in the manual, but honestly the manual sucks, IMHO, and is really hard to read so I might have missed it. I didn't really trust the CS rep who I was talking to because 1. we had a hard time understanding each other (I was in Germany and he was in India) and 2. when I asked him the question I had, I had to explain what I was talking about more than 3 times. I reeeeaaaaally don't want to call customer service again-- I get too frustrated.

If this is true, that would mean that there would only be 2 TT points in the car once the LATCH limit was reached and that could pose some serious issues in the future for us.

BTW, what is the LATCH limit on an 09 Town and Country?

[Pixels]

That doesn't make any sense to me. Seatbelts are stronger than the latch system. Seatbelts are designed to restrain adult males, latch is only designed for toddlers. I'd go ahead and install with the seatbelt, of course making sure you can get a good install (less than one inch of movement at the belt path).

[CDNTech]

No, this is not true... the center TA in the 3rd row is for the center seatbelt position OR the LATCH position.

Also... unless they've fixed the '09 manuals, the seatbelt locking instructions are *incorrect*. The manual indicates that the seatbelts are lightweight locking latchplates... this is false.

With the exception of the 3rd row center position (which does have a lightweight locking latchplate on it), all other seatbelts are switchable retractors. Pull the seatbelt out all the way to switch it to Automatic Locking (ALR) mode.

Latch limit for Dodge vehicles is 48lbs. :)

[christineka]

In my older vehicle the manual forbids center installs of forward facing car seats unless the tether anchor is also used due to the belt being lap-only. Perhaps the cs person was just going off older models with lap-only belts in the center?

[Pixels]

All carseats must pass testing with lap belt only without the top tether, as well as with it. In fact, lap-shoulder belts are not tested. They test lap belt without TT, lap belt with TT, latch belt without TT and latch belt with TT.

They might forbid car seats in that position for some other reason, but lap only belt is not it.

Booster seats would be forbidden in that position. All booster seats require lap-shoulder belts.

[mybabysmomma]

No, this is not true... the center TA in the 3rd row is for the center seatbelt position OR the LATCH position.

Also... unless they've fixed the '09 manuals, the seatbelt locking instructions are *incorrect*. The manual indicates that the seatbelts are lightweight locking latchplates... this is false.

With the exception of the 3rd row center position (which does have a lightweight locking latchplate on it), all other seatbelts are switchable retractors. Pull the seatbelt out all the way to switch it to Automatic Locking (ALR) mode.

Latch limit for Dodge vehicles is 48lbs. :)

I didn't think it was true, but I wanted to be 100% sure. Thanks for clarification.

The 09 manuals say the same thing about the seat belts. When I read it and then tried the center seatbelt I was getting so frustrated that it wasn't working. The salesman thought I was a nutcase. Can you direct me to a link that would explain how to install a seat with a lightweight locking latchplate seatbelt?

Thanks for the LATCH limit too!

[mybabysmomma]

In my older vehicle the manual forbids center installs of forward facing car seats unless the tether anchor is also used due to the belt being lap-only. Perhaps the cs person was just going off older models with lap-only belts in the center?

All carseats must pass testing with lap belt only without the top tether, as well as with it. In fact, lap-shoulder belts are not tested. They test lap belt without TT, lap belt with TT, latch belt without TT and latch belt with TT.

They might forbid car seats in that position for some other reason, but lap only belt is not it.

Booster seats would be forbidden in that position. All booster seats require lap-shoulder belts.

Yeah, I think he got confused somewhere along the line. Maybe because it is the kind of seat belt that you have to pull from the ceiling and then buckle into a little buckle before you buckle it into the big buckle-- Are you impressed with my terminology? ;) I really need to learn what I am talking about before I talk about it :rolleyes:

[CDNTech]

Lightweight locking latchplates are easy to install... buckle, pull all slack out of lap portion, tighten top tether, done. ;) :)

A lightweight locking latchplate locks at the latchplate when the lap/buckle/shoulder portions are all parallel to each other (ie. the seat is buckled with a person or child restraint in it).

The lightweight locking latchplate keeps the child restraint in position until the event of a collision/sudden stop. At that point, the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) kicks in/locks and continues to keep the child restraint in place.

Over time you may find that the lap portion slips a little and comes loose. If this happens, you can fix this by twisting the buckle 180 degrees (so it faces backwards - there will be a single twist in the seatbelt doing this). This forces the lap/buckle/shoulder portions to stay parallel and locked.

Alternatively, you can twist down the buckle stalk (female end) up to 3 full 360 degree twists. This will bring the buckle further down away from the child restraint (depending which model you are installing) and allow the lap/buckle/shoulder portions some space to remain parallel to each other. This method is my preferred method as it takes less effort and I don't like having a twist in my seatbelt (just my ocd :D).

An easy way to test the lightweight locking latchplate is to sit in the seat and buckle up. Pull all slack out of the lap portion. Now grab the lap portion in the center of the seatbelt and try to pull straight up/out... the latchplate should be locked and you will not be able to loosen the lap portion without great force and manouvering of the buckle (similar to an airline lapbelt).

[mybabysmomma]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! This is very helpful! I really appreciate it.

Lightweight locking latchplates are easy to install... buckle, pull all slack out of lap portion, tighten top tether, done. ;) :)

A lightweight locking latchplate locks at the latchplate when the lap/buckle/shoulder portions are all parallel to each other (ie. the seat is buckled with a person or child restraint in it).

The lightweight locking latchplate keeps the child restraint in position until the event of a collision/sudden stop. At that point, the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) kicks in/locks and continues to keep the child restraint in place.

Over time you may find that the lap portion slips a little and comes loose. If this happens, you can fix this by twisting the buckle 180 degrees (so it faces backwards - there will be a single twist in the seatbelt doing this). This forces the lap/buckle/shoulder portions to stay parallel and locked.

Alternatively, you can twist down the buckle stalk (female end) up to 3 full 360 degree twists. This will bring the buckle further down away from the child restraint (depending which model you are installing) and allow the lap/buckle/shoulder portions some space to remain parallel to each other. This method is my preferred method as it takes less effort and I don't like having a twist in my seatbelt (just my ocd :D).

An easy way to test the lightweight locking latchplate is to sit in the seat and buckle up. Pull all slack out of the lap portion. Now grab the lap portion in the center of the seatbelt and try to pull straight up/out... the latchplate should be locked and you will not be able to loosen the lap portion without great force and manouvering of the buckle (similar to an airline lapbelt).