Frontier in backseat of truck?

[quick2blush]

So we have a Frontier, and are buying a new (to us) truck. We haven't found one yet, but will probably go with a Ford F-150 (would love a Toyota Tundra if we can get a good deal!)

We'll be buying one with four doors, so a decent backseat, and I'm hoping to get some advice about fitting the Frontier.

Anyhoo, we currently have a Dodge Dakota, with the narrow bench backseat, and the Frontier does NOT fit in it. It's a 90-degree angle. We took it to a carseat clinic (hi Nicole and friends! :thumbsup:) and we have it installed in the front seat of the truck for now (airbag disabled, seat all the way back, temp tether to the rear seatbelt).

One of the main reasons we're buying a new truck now is because of the carseat problem. So of course I want to be sure we'll be able to install the Frontier in whichever new truck we buy!

Of course we'll make sure once we've narrowed down the vehicles, but I was hoping that someone here may have one of those trucks, and has installed a Frontier in it.

[QuassEE]

The Tundra Crew Cab is a good possibility for installing the Frontier, and has deeper rear seats and less of a slope as compared to the F-150 Crew. One of the ways you can assess possible vehicle fits is by looking at edmunds.com for interior photos, and then assessing any weird slope issues, seat design issues, or seatbelt irregularities through those photos that might make for a difficult install. The one thing we cannot assess through photos is how the access to the tether anchors is--TAs can be quite a trick in pickup trucks.

We honestly don't see a lot of carseats in trucks, here. Maybe moreso out in the Valley and on the Island...so I haven't done Frontier installs in either of your top choices and it may be difficult to find someone who has. My best advice would be to go out to a lot, locate the same model year you're looking at, and try it out. Don't forget to locate the tether anchors--you may need to consult the vehicle manual in the case of a pickup.

I'm glad our temporary work-around suits your needs for the time being. Happy car shopping! :)

-Nicole.

[safeinthecar]

The Fords from 2002 on with crew cabs (doors are full sized and open will normally, as opposed to suicide doors) will fit a Frontier.

[horseymom]

The Fords from 2002 on with crew cabs (doors are full sized and open will normally, as opposed to suicide doors) will fit a Frontier.


sorry to butt in on this thread :whistle: but are you saying the frontier will NOT fit in our truck (a 2003 350 extended cab with suicide doors)? I was actually going to try it out this weekend.

I hope it works b/c otherwise we will be driving to vehicals camping, which sucks!

[QuassEE]

From what I hear, there's a problem fitting a lot of the larger seats into the back of pick-up trucks--often times you can only get around 60% of the footprint of the seat onto the vehicle seat. Add to that the bizarre tethering situations in many pickups, and it's pretty easy to conclude that the truck manufacturers were only technically (not functionally) meeting vehicle requirements. To functionally meet them, they would either have to eliminate the smaller extended cabs or extend many of their cabs by a couple of inches...major structural change.

As much as I'm glad to see fewer and fewer truck cabs with side-facing seats, I have to say it's a whole lot easier convincing parents NOT to install a child restraint in those seats--at least the restraint manuals specifically state it's not permitted. Try explaining why their child restraints don't fit into a "family truck" when most manuals have no obvious exclusion.

-Nicole.

[bubbaray]

Hi OP! I was one of the techs at the check you were at, but didn't work on your vehicle (though I remember the issue and the final solution. ETA -- I was one of the techs working on your "other" vehicle with your MA in it.

My husband and I have successfully installed seats in the following full-sized trucks (all crew cabs): 2007 GMC Sierra 2500HD Diesel; 2008 Dodge Ram 3500HD Diesel; 2009 GMC Sierra 1500. Based on the OODLES of room in the rear seats of those trucks, and the flat vehicle seats, you should have no trouble fitting a FR in any of those.

My DH recently purchased a 2009 Toyota Tacoma crew cab. Our Nautilus fits on the seat with room to spare, so a Frontier should fit in the Tacoma. The Nautilus requires 100% of the restraint to fit on the vehicle seat, unlike the FR, so its a trickier install. The Toyota truck seats are not flat like the domestics, so definitely try your FR before you buy. But, if we can fit the GN in the Tacoma, you should have no problem fitting the FR (which only requires 80% on the seat) into the larger Tundra.

We didn't test seats in the Ford 150, but I was in it and the seats actually felt deeper and as flat as the Dodge and the GM full-sized trucks. I think you stand a pretty good chance in getting a decent install in the Ford.

FWIW, in terms of top tethers, my favorite truck TT anchor is the GM. The new GM trucks have a wire loop TT which is SUPER easy to use. All of the other trucks we've installed into are tricky. I would say that of the trucks, our current Tacoma has the trickiest TT to use.

If you end up looking at the Toyota, we have a really great salesman that I can PM you the info on at a local dealership that we found to have the best selection of trucks.

GL!

[bubbaray]

One more thought. If you are planning on having more children, IMO the Ford had the most front to back room in the back seat, meaning that a RFg install would work best in that vehicle.

We were unable to get a decent RFg install of our Marathon in DH's Tacoma (not a big deal as DD#2 is 2.5 and just hit the 30lb weight limit for that MA and we are done having children).

We have gotten excellent RFg installs of the MA in the GMC Sierras and the Dodge Rams.

Just something to think about if you might have more children. Take your MA along to try out RFg, just in case you end up needing that kind of install down the road.

[safeinthecar]

sorry to butt in on this thread :whistle: but are you saying the frontier will NOT fit in our truck (a 2003 350 extended cab with suicide doors)? I was actually going to try it out this weekend.

I hope it works b/c otherwise we will be driving to vehicals camping, which sucks!

No, I'm just confirming that it WILL fit in the crew cabs with normal doors. The back set setup with the suicide doors is quite different and I've never tried the Frontier there. If I had to make a guess, you might have a very hard time getting 80% of the car seat on the vehicle seat since the seats in the extended cab are so shallow, but it's worth a shot.

[quick2blush]

Thanks so much for all the advice! I think we've decided to go with a Ford, although we love the Toyota (just not the price ;))

The ones we're looking at have the full back door, and the seat seem to be quite deep, with a small recline, and a flat seat. Definitely way more room than our current truck! So next time we go looking (tomorrow?) we're going to bring the Frontier to try it out.

Any suggestions for how I can tell if it's in there good? I know how to check for a tight fit, but I'm worried about how it fits up against the back of the seat, given that it's not as reclined as most cars.

Also, I've seen the tether loops in the trucks, and know that we have to loop it from the seat where the carseat is located, and we attach it to one of the adjacent loops. On that adjacent loops, dDo I hook the tether onto the fabric itself, or down onto the metal part (to which the fabric loop is attached)? The metal parts didn't look quite big enough, and I can't find good instructions online.

Thanks again!:D

[bubbaray]

I'm not a Ford truck girl (so you'll need to check your manual and not rely on the salesman's word) -- but, yeah, you thread the tether strap through the fabric loop and hook onto the anchor behind the seat. I'm not sure what the TT anchors look like in those trucks. You could take a photo ;) Don't be surprised if its metal wire, that is what is in the new GMCs.

GL!

ETA: You're looking for ideally 1/2" or less of movement at the belt path.