Honda Fit -- concern over non-locking flip seats?

[charlatti]

We're considering buying a Honda Fit. The back seats flip up for more cargo configurations, but they don't lock at all when they're down. Is that a problem when we'll be putting a carseat on those non-locking seats? It's a Britax Marathon, most likely will go behind the passenger side so we can use LATCH to install. Thanks!

[abigaylebelle]

I have an 08 honda fit and the seats lock in the normal position for passengers. Did you mean that they won't lock in the folded position? Oh and the marathon works fine outboard in the fit, it looks enormous in such a small car but it is do-able.

[papooses]

It is a federal requirement that all passenger vehicles after 1996 have a manual locking mechanism -- either with ratcheting retractor (after pulling all the way out, slowly) or at the buckle plate (various methods)*

* visit www.cpsafety.com (.org?) for the page about locking in child restraints.

All cars since the '70s/'80s (:confused:) have emergency locking systems based on a swinging pendulum -- cartseats then require the locking clip included with carseat (without the afforentioned manual locking capability)

Our Britax Boulevard fit ... not "easily", but correctly/safely & "do-able" ... in a '97 Civic HX 2-door :)

[Maedze]

It is a federal requirement that all passenger vehicles after 1996 have a manual locking mechanism -- either with ratcheting retractor (after pulling all the way out, slowly) or at the buckle plate (various methods)*

* visit www.cpsafety.com (.org?) for the page about locking in child restraints.

All cars since the '70s/'80s (:confused:) have emergency locking systems based on a swinging pendulum -- cartseats then require the locking clip included with carseat (without the afforentioned manual locking capability)

Our Britax Boulevard fit ... not "easily", but correctly/safely & "do-able" ... in a '97 Civic HX 2-door :)

Papooses, I believe the OP is talking about the vehicle seat locking in place, not the seatbelt locking mechanism. I think.

[southpawboston]

i don't see the issue with a seat not locking in the folded down position. :confused:

[Pixels]

It's fine to install carseats on those seats. If anything, a child in a carseat is safer than an adult, because the carseat would help protect the child *if* it were possible that the bottom of the seat were to move.

The seat bottom does snap into place. It might not stay put in, say, a rollover crash, but I don't think it would be a problem in a non-rollover.

My brother has a Fit. I have no qualms about my daughter riding in his back seat. Nor do I have any qualms about riding back there myself. We both do ride back there fairly frequently, so I'm not just speaking hypothetically.

[papooses]

i don't see the issue with a seat not locking in the folded down position. :confused:
Ditto -- I guess that's why I assumed the issue has to do installing carseats :o

[shellebelle]

On the Fits there's an actual bar that folds down and becomes the bottom cushion support when the seat is set up to hold passengers. I would have no hesitation putting a car seat in one (actually, I plan on it once I get a Fit of my own!).

The bar is stowed in this pic; its hinge is below the knobby things:

http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/7/K/H/1/09_fit_backseat2.jpg