LATCH in Ford F-350 2003 model

Unregistered · Oct 30, 2003

Why are there no LATCH anchors in the seat for my new F-350 crew cab. It does have the top teathers, but no lower anchors in the seat that I can find. Am I missing them or are they available as a kit?

joolsplus3 · Oct 30, 2003

If they were there, there would be some kind of mark on the seat, and the manual would indicate their locations. However, since you couldn't just see them, they probably aren't there. Some very large trucks, vans, and buses are exempt from having to have the Lower LATCH anchors, and they cannot be retrofitted (I looked at the LATCH/Tether manual, and it appeared to me your truck does not have them).
I'm not exactly sure the reasoning behind why these larger vehicles are exempt, perhaps someone else can shed some light on that (???).
Anyway, the good news is that a seatbelt installation is just as safe as a LATCH installation, and oftentimes is just as easy. Any seat you buy can be used with the LATCH OR seatbelt, and you will use the top tether along with the seatbelt for a forward facing seat (and rearfacing, if you have a Britax convertible).

Hope that helps a little,

orangemnms · Oct 31, 2003

I ran into the same problem with my 2003 Excursion. Seems that the law requiring the lower anchors is for passenger vehicles that weigh 8500 lbs or less. You can find your vehicles Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) on the sticker on the freame of the drivers side door.

I must say that I was quite dissapointed with Ford for choosing to do the bare minimum by not installing the lower tethers in my car (which weighs 8600 lbs., just 100 lbs. over the "required by law" limit.)

HTH!

Gina