Minivan Question

serickso

New member
Hi,

My wife and I are expecting our third child and have decided to get a minivan. We're only really interested in a Toyota or Honda. To our surprise, neither one offers more than one latchable seat in the 3rd row. Thus, if one wants to use the latch system, one can only put a single car seat in the 3rd row. My question is why on earth would this be so? Is there some safety reason why car makers only put one pair of latches in the 3rd row? I know that the 2nd row offers more latch pairs, but then access to the 3rd row seems impossible.
 
ADS

Guest

New member
You can just use seatbelt. Not that big a deal.

I haven't seen the new Ody yet, but the Sienna has the 2nd row on sliding tracks. Pretty easy to just slide it forward (even with a seat installed) to access the 3rd row.
 

Maedze

New member
You can install the seat with a seatbelt, but you should always use a top tether anchor. The Odyssey has tether anchors in all three rear seating positions. Up through 2010 the Sienna has two sets of LATCH so two anchors. The 2011 model of Sienna has only ONE top tether.

If you're planning to put two forward facing children in the third row and you're getting a 2011 model, choose the Odyssey.

How old and big are your kids? What are they currently riding in?
 

Pixels

New member
It's not a safety reason they don't put more LATCH, it's a financial one. The fewer they put, the cheaper for them to make the vehicle. Only two full sets of LATCH and a third top tether anchor are mandated by law, so few vehicles go much beyond that.
 

serickso

New member
Thanks for these quick replies. My boys are 3 yo (35 lbs.) and 18 months (30 lbs.). Our third will arrive in January. My preference would be for the boys to be in the 3rd row and the baby in the second. But when my wife and I test dove the 2010 Ody last week, we read the owner's manual and it clearly said that a rear facing car seat should not be installed in the 2nd row. That was a real bummer.

We're going to check the Sienna and Sequoia this weekend.
 

Guest

New member
But when my wife and I test dove the 2010 Ody last week, we read the owner's manual and it clearly said that a rear facing car seat should not be installed in the 2nd row. That was a real bummer.

Wow, really? I had never heard that. I wonder why that is.
 

bree

Car-Seat.Org Ambassador
Thanks for these quick replies. My boys are 3 yo (35 lbs.) and 18 months (30 lbs.). Our third will arrive in January. My preference would be for the boys to be in the 3rd row and the baby in the second. But when my wife and I test dove the 2010 Ody last week, we read the owner's manual and it clearly said that a rear facing car seat should not be installed in the 2nd row. That was a real bummer.

We're going to check the Sienna and Sequoia this weekend.

I just looked up the 2010 Honda Odyssey manual online, and it says,
Rear-facing Child Seat Placement
A rear-facing child seat can be placed in any seating position in the second or third row, but not in the front. Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front seat.

So, if you go for the Odyssey, I think you'll be all set to try to install rear-facing car seats for any of your kids in the second row. :)
 

skitle1802

New member
The only comment about a rear facing seat in the second row refers to the advanced airbags in the front seat,
A rear-facing child seat can be placed
in any seating position in the second
or third row, but not in the front.
It could also interfere with proper
operation of the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system.
It could also interfere with proper
operation of the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system. In any of these situations, we
strongly recommend that you install
the child seat directly behind the
front passenger’s seat, move the seat
as far forward as needed, and leave it
unoccupied. Or, you may wish to get
a smaller rear-facing child seat.
 

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