upper tethers in 2004 jeep grand cherokee overland

gingerbread

New member
We are thinking of buying a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. We have three kids, all in Radians. Two are RF and one is FF. Are there three upper tethers in this car? Can we use three carseats in this car? If there are no upper tethers (or only two) can they be retrofitted? If so, can someone give me the part number? If there is anything else I should know about carseats regarding this vehicle, give it to me! Thanks.
 
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Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Hello and welcome to car-seat.org. :D There is no top tether anchor for the second row center nor a retrofit for the center, unfortunately. Only the two rear outboard (passenger side and driver's side) vehicle seating positions have factory equipped top tether anchors in the 2001-2004 Grand Cherokee models, located in the vehicle ceiling near the rear courtesy lamp/interior dome light, and there's no tether anchor retrofit part listed for the center in the LATCH manual. :eek: Seeing as you're apparently in Canada where you're legally required to top tether forward facing harnessed carseats, assuming you plan to keep the vehicle long term and ultimately have 3 forward facing harnessed kiddos riding in it, I recommend looking into alternative vehicles with three top tether anchors instead. :eek: If your heart is set on a Grand Cherokee, the 2005 and newer Grand Cherokee models have 3 factory equipped top tether anchors if you'd consider a 2005+ model instead. On the 3 across aspect, you can peruse the forum's Successful 3 Across thread at http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=33226 to get ideas of what's workable in various vehicles and the Successful Radian install thread at http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=18235 can also give you input on vehicle compatibility for the Radian. Having 3 Radians already pretty much gives you a head start for 3 across, provided that the Radian is compatible with the specific vehicle model.
 

gingerbread

New member
Wow, thanks for the information and welcome. :) My husband and I were discussing it today and he pointed out to me that our two littlest ones will be rear facing for quite some time which for now means that we really only need one top tether for our ff'er at the moment. And by the time we actually need to turn another seat forward, our oldest will be ready for a booster. I don't know much about boosters so I may be showing my ignorance here -- do they need to be tethered? (I'm tentatively thinking of sticking with SKJP and going with the Monterey when it's time.) Is my thinking way off here?
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Your thinking makes sense if you don't anticipate having 3 forward facing harnessed kiddos all at once. You might find it easier to keep all 3 kiddos harnessed longer in terms of fitting 3 across vs. having 2 harnessed and 1 in a belt positioning booster which has you and or the child reaching in between carseats to buckle the booster each trip. You're right in thinking that dedicated belt positioning boosters don't require top tethering, and it's optional to top tether in booster mode on a select few combination seats that can be used in harnessed mode and then converted to a belt positioning booster. The Sunshine Kids Monterey booster has the option of being LATCHed in the vehicle using the lower LATCH/UAS anchors if the vehicle seating position is LATCH equipped, but the Monterey doesn't have a top tether strap at all and can't be top tethered.
 

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