1991 Oldsmobile Wagon

Ok carseat family please tell me what you know. I have been telling my dh that we need a vehicle with space for a minimum of 3 across (our 1st due in July & still waiting on 1st foster placement) but I'd prefer something with a 3rd row so I can continue to be active w/ the godchildren! He runs out &gets this BIG ol' wagon and Im not mad b/c we are basically poor right now & Im surprised I wont just still be on the bus But I need help figuring, how this is going to work, obviously safety of the whole family is paramount!

Does your manual refer to tethers? I know I will need locking clips (does it matter if they came with the seat or I buy spares from Babies R Us?) What about the rf 3rd row? Whats the minumum age/height/weight youd be comfortable letting kids ride back there? Theres a seatbelt center up front between driver &passenger but the backrest is shorter...would you put a ff carseat there if need be & which one? I am making it a point to go try a few installs and read the manual later today but would really appreciate any & all help you can offer, Thank You

Woof. Uh. Can he give it back?

A 20 year old car is going to have a LOT of safety issues. It would not be my first choice for transporting children. I understand having no money. Did you have another, safer car prior to this one, or is this your first vehicle?


That rear facing third row is really not helpful to you at all. You cannot install a child restraint in the third row. And if it doesn't have head rests, it's useless to you as a seat for a larger child who is legally old enough to be out of a booster and 5-steps in the jump seat.

Does the front driver's side have an air bag? If it doesn't, I would use that lap belt in the center position ONLY for a rear facing convertible or infant seat. And you'll need top tether anchors retrofitted for the three seats in the rear. (presuming you'll be transporting forward facing kids.)


Locking clips are interchangeable and the ones from Babies R Us are fine, but almost any child restraint you buy will come with one included if it doesn't have built in lock offs

Locking clips are the one and only universal carseat part. You can use a locking clip from any of your seats, from garage sale finds, or from BRU. Locking clips don't expire, either, as long as they don't look bad (rust or bent) they are okay to use.

If you can get three across the second row, you can use the third row seatbelts as tether points.

I would let a child ride in the third row if they were under the vehicle manufacturer's weight limit, mature enough to ride properly when you can't really see them, and the seatbelt fits properly. The good thing about those RFing third row seats is that kids usually fit the belt sooner there than anywhere else. The bad thing is usually a short backrest with no head support. Of course, no carseat allows use on a RFing vehicle seat.

The front center seat I would use. You'll need a seat that is narrow enough and low enough profile not to interfere with the driver's ability to move or see. I've found that a non-XT Radian does well because it's so slim.

Do you have an airbag in the passenger's seat? SIL's 91 Ford has a driver's airbag but not a passenger's. If there is no passenger airbag, and you don't have a second adult riding, you can put anyone in the front passenger seat (again make sure the seat doesn't obscure the driver's vision). With no airbag to worry about, the first kid to go in front is the oldest rear facing child.

Depending on the seat belts you might not need a locking clip. I had a 1991 olds and it had the lap and shoulder belt sewn onto the latch plate and the lap belt was switchable. Most cars you pull the shoulder belt all the way out to lock it, on mine you pulled the lap belt out all the way to lock it. It was a very unusual set up.

Thanks for the quick replies Unfortunately no other option for now, and this car is newer than my previous '76 lincoln!

Glad to know the locking clips are universal, Im sure I have one or 2 somewhere but couldnt remember which matched which seat.

Is it possible to have top tethers retrofitted or will I have to tether to the 3rd row completely cancelling out any possible usability? Would it be horrible to let a 4.5yr old ~45# kid & a 8.8yr old ~65# kid ride 3rd row if the head support is adequate and put 3yr ~35# kid ff radian front seat (there IS a driver side airbag & usually a 2nd adult passenger)? That would leave the middle row for rf/3 across

Dont hurt me but really why/how bad could it be to install ff childseats on the 3rd row facing out the back? youd be using the correct belt path the car would just be traveling the opposite way...wouldnt it be like erf? staying within weight limits per manufacturer the seat belts should hold, so...? And Im not talking why b/c the carseats say no, Im asking from a physics& logic perspective

We will hopefully have a turn around in our finaces in the next 6-12 months & be able to upgrade but for now I really appreciate any help, I'm dedicated to safety but have to be realistic also

Well, the seats weren't tested that way. We don't know if the plastic is strong enough in that direction to support the weight of the child, or if it would break, possibly leaving sharp edges exposed to poke the child.

One thing I would absolutely NOT do, ever, is install a child restraint "rear facing" on the 3rd row so that the child rides looking out the front window.

I don't know where my LATCH manual is, so I can't look up the tethers for you. Are you in Canada? If you're in the US, top tethers aren't required for any seat below 50 pounds.

GM dealers will retrofit one top tether anchor free of charge in retrofittable 1989-2002 GM models in the U.S. per GM Technical Service Bulletin Number 99-09-40-004a. The Oldsmobile brand was discontinued a number of years ago, but my understanding is that it should be possible to have it serviced at any GM dealership, and a '91 model falls within the model year range for GM's tether anchor retrofit policy of providing one tether anchor at no charge. The specific part numbers for retrofittable GM cars aren't listed in the LATCH manual because they change over time, and the GM dealership is supposed to have the current part information. Steer the GM dealership service department to the above service bulletin number, and hopefully that will nudge the dealership into action on retrofitting.