Mazda CX-9 help...

[evansmom]

:confused:I have a Mazda CX-9 with a Marathon and want to use it RF... Where do you tether the top to???????? I can't find a location on the floor to use.....

Please help...........

[slklady]

my daughter was forward facing in her marathon when we moved to the cx9 but if i recall there is no top tether usage on the marathon rear facing only for forward facing... but i could be wrong its been a bit since we have had it rear facing.

[Defrost]

Actually, the Marathon is one of the few carseats that does allow rear-facing tethering.

OP, have you read the manual about rear-facing tethering? When tethering the MA rear-facing, you use the D-ring that came with your seat, and wrap it around a fixed point (like the front seat's leg) to create a tether point. This can be tricky in some vehicles, depending on how the front seats are attached to the vehicle, and I'm not familiar with your vehicle. If you post a pic of the area, we can sometimes offer suggestions on good locations for the D-ring.

[codex57]

Note that it's allowed, but not required.

It's tough because most vehicles in the US don't have a dedicated place to tether RF. Makes sense cuz not that manys seats even allow tethering while RF. But, it means that if you want to do so, it can be tricky depending on the vehicle.

[crunchierthanthou]

I saw the original question last week and finally had a chance to play around in my neighbor's CX-9 on Saturday. I think hers is a 2008, but expect they would be the same since the model is relatively new. I didn't have a tether connector strap (d-ring) with me, but luckily her vehicle had plenty of other items to choose from. :o

The plastic trim didn't seem to pop off very easily, but it was open behind the seat legs. If you have a newer Britax d-ring with a trapezoidal metal plate (~Sept 08 and later), then it should be long enough to wrap around the legs. The older/shorter ones might be iffy.

see how the stick goes all the way through? each of the legs had a gap there.

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z157/crunchierthanthou/0620091007-1.jpg

If your d-ring isn't long enough, I would tether to this bar on the bottom of the driver's seat. You'll have to pull the fabric to the side an inch or two to access it. Just be sure to loosen the tether before moving the seat and readjust it afterward. It's not ideal, but better than nothing, IMO. Unfortunately, the passenger side doesn't have the same bar, so this would only work for center or driver's side outboard.

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z157/crunchierthanthou/0620091005a.jpg