Where should the seatbelt buckle lay?

futuresoccermom · Feb 11, 2007

Should the seatbelt buckle not be touching the carseat at all? Or is it just not supposed to be halfin/half out of the belt path? I'm so confused!

Are there any websites that show the difference between good and bad installs?

Or could someone post pictures to show me where the buckle should be in relation to the carseat?

Thankyou!

henrietta · Feb 12, 2007

In my carseat obsessed lay-person's opinion, it should NOT touch the carseat. The manual for Britax seats shows the buckle away from the carseat and specifically shows it as incorrect in the pics where it touches the carseat. In my experience, if the buckle lays against the carseat, the seatbelt is generally not as tight as it should/could be...and the carseat will slide more than it should. It shouldn't move more than an inch at the belt path.
Unless your car's manual prohibits it, you can twist the buckle stalk up to three times (that's what tech have told me--we have long buckle stalks in my Mercury Villager). That will make the buckle stalk shorter, and in many cases, prevent it from touching the carseat. That worked for all carseats except for the Graco Comfort Sport and the Cosco Alpha Omega (both rearfacing).

hths

henrietta

AdventureMom · Feb 12, 2007

Ideally it should not touch the car seat, but the main issue is that it is not in the beltpath. For some of the larger seats (such as the Regent), it's probably next to impossible for the seat not to touch the buckle...

Check out this thread:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=11472

Hope this helps

futuresoccermom · Feb 12, 2007

Thankyou for the replies!

I've never been able to get a seat in my car w/o the buckle laying on the side of the car seat

Maybe twisting the female end of the buckle will help.

Thanks

AdventureMom · Feb 12, 2007

futuresoccermom said:
Thankyou for the replies!

I've never been able to get a seat in my car w/o the buckle laying on the side of the car seat Maybe twisting the female end of the buckle will help.

Thanks

Yes, that probably will help bring the buckle down some. When trying to install the Radian in several cars, I had to twist the female buckle in order to keep it from going in the belt path. You can safely twist it up to three full turns ...

mom2acrew · Feb 12, 2007

I haven't heard it matters much if it lays against the seat or not as long as it's a secure install and the buckle is not IN the belt path. Is this something new in the tech classes?

lynsgirl · Feb 12, 2007

mom2acrew said:
I haven't heard it matters much if it lays against the seat or not as long as it's a secure install and the buckle is not IN the belt path. Is this something new in the tech classes?

I agree with Jodi here. I am usually not as concerned about a buckle touching the seat as long it's not in the belt path.

scatterbunny · Feb 12, 2007

lynsgirl said:
I agree with Jodi here. I am usually not as concerned about a buckle touching the seat as long it's not in the belt path.

Ditto.

But didn't Russ from SKJP OK the buckle inside the belt path of the Radian?

Where should the seatbelt buckle lay?

futuresoccermom

New member

henrietta

Well-known member

AdventureMom

Senior Community Member

futuresoccermom

New member

AdventureMom

Senior Community Member

mom2acrew

Moderator - CPST Instructor

lynsgirl

New member

scatterbunny

New member

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics