Question New beetle convertible and tether anchors?

gjenny

New member
Help?!

We are looking at a 2006 Beetle convertible, and when we went to the (Volkswagen) dealership to see it we could not find tether anchors. The salespeople naturally said they thought they could install them, but all my research suggests that this is unlikely because of the roll bars that come up in the event of a roll over.

I have a 4 year old who is still in a 5-point harness in a Britax frontier and an Alpha Omega convertible seat (he is still under the height and weight limit for both.) The dealership CLAIMS that it is possible to thread the seatbelt in place of the tether, but this just sounds wrong to me and I can't find anything in either manual to support this.

My questions are:
1) I was under the impression that all vehicles sold in Canada after a certain year require a tether anchor. Is there some kind of exemption for convertibles?
2) Is it legal to use a FF car seat that is designed to be tethered without the tether? Just for the record, I would not do this, and we won't buy the vehicle unless they can install the anchor for us, but I would like to be able to tell the dealership that the information they are providing is wrong, if in fact it is.

I am having a hard time finding anything definitive online about whether use of the tether is required if the car seat has it, so help from one of the experts would be great.
Thanks in advance! :D
 
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Ninetales

New member
I'm no expert but I thought it was law in Canada that tethers must be used with FFing seats. In the US cars have been required to have tether anchors since 1996 but I don't know about up there.
 

Pixels

New member
I'm no expert but I thought it was law in Canada that tethers must be used with FFing seats. In the US cars have been required to have tether anchors since 1996 but I don't know about up there.

US cars have had to have locking seatbelts since 1996. Tether anchors as a requirement were phased in from 2000-2002.

There are exemptions to the tether anchor law in the US, including convertibles. I don't know about Canada.
 

gjenny

New member
I read the regulation, and it's pretty clear that the tether must be used, but I didn't see anything about exemptions.

The salesperson said that he is "99% positive" that they can add the anchor after market, but I told him that I would wait to hear what Volkswagen service says. I am wondering if the pop up roll bars make it impossible, because this is the only car I have ever seen that didn't have them that was newer than 1999
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
I recently looked in to this quite a bit due to a parent with an older beetle, and the LATCH manual indicates that the current beetle convertible does not have top tether anchors. With the exception of one or two models of minivans, if vehicle made since Sept 1, 2002 didn't ship from the factory with the tether anchor, no more can be added.

Convertibles are exempt from the standard requiring top tethers since in some designs there would be no suitable place to put them. Some convertibles have them anyways, but the Beetle isn't one of them even though it does have UAS.

I'd suggest requesting a copy of the technical bulletin that they are referencing regarding installing a tether anchor. Sales people rarely know anything about child restraints, UAS, or top tethers - but they will sometimes try and give advice anyways in the interest of being "helpful." Years ago it was quite standard for dealers to install tether anchors, but since they've been required by standards it's not done as often anymore - top tethers have been required from the factory for over a decade depending on the type of vehicle. It's possible that this salesman just remembers when they used to be done and isn't aware about the standards surrounding UAS and top tethers.

I would expect the mechanics to be familiar with retrofitting older vehicles with tether anchors - and manufacturers have specific policies on retrofits (parts #'s, location, etc.) so hopefully by requesting the technical service bulletin they will realize that you're educated on the subject and you can get some clearer answers.

If it helps any, the mom that I was helping locally contacted a local dealership and was told that the current beetle doesn't have top tethers and there is no way to retrofit them. (She was driving an older beetle convertible, and was hoping to compare the new one to find a point she could get tethers installed in her car. Unfortunately, it's just not possible.)

Best of luck to you. I'm sorry we couldn't give you better news.
 

BookMama

Senior Community Member
Convertibles are exempt from the standard requiring top tethers since in some designs there would be no suitable place to put them. Some convertibles have them anyways, but the Beetle isn't one of them even though it does have UAS.

Trudy, can you clarify whether that translates into a parent being exempt from using top tethers in this vehicle? I understand that VW is exempt from having to include them, but am not clear on how that affects the parents. :confused:
 

gjenny

New member
Thanks, Trudy!

The salesperson seemed really confused, which is why I asked them to speak to their service dept. He mentioned liability so I know they won't do it unless it is approved.

I am probably going to have to pass on this car, unfortunately. I doubt they are going to be able to do it.

Thanks to everyone for your responses!
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Trudy, can you clarify whether that translates into a parent being exempt from using top tethers in this vehicle? I understand that VW is exempt from having to include them, but am not clear on how that affects the parents. :confused:

Thanks for asking this question - it is a very good one. :)

This does not exempt a parent from having to use a top tether.

I'll do my best to explain, but if anything comes out less than perfectly clear please forgive me. I may run this past TC and correct anything that needs to be clarified once I have feedback.

The basics are this - the federal government regulates safety. It sets CMVSS standards, and regulates vehicle equipment - top tethers and UAS anchors are part of what is regulated. Convertibles are exempt from having to have top tethers installed under the safety standards that the federal government sets for vehicles.

Child restraint use is regulated by the provinces and territories. All provinces and territories require that seats be properly used. Part of the CMVSS 213 (federal regulations that specify what carseat manufacturers have to do in order to certify their seats can be sold in Canada,) specifically requires ff'ing carseats to be top tethered - so manufacturers have to require their ff'ing seats be top tethered. Since the carseat manufacturer requires the top tether be used for all ff'ing installations, it would be illegal in all provinces/territores to not use the top tether.

I don't know the law in other provinces/territories as well as I do in AB, but I know that in my province, not using a top tether can be ticketed for on it's own. (speaking specifically of ff'ing seats, just to clarify.)

A vehicle not having a tether anchor or not being able to be retrofitted with a tether anchor does not exempt a parent or caregiver from having to use the top tether. What it does mean is that the parent must either rf the child - if they fit the seat, find an alternative vehicle, booster the child if the child is over 40lbs and meets the other legal requirements to be in a booster (assuming lap/shoulder belts are present in the backseat,) or in some instances, temporary tethering may be an option.

The simplest solution is really to just erf as long as possible, and with the multitude of seats that go to 40lbs now, it's become much easier for parents to keep their kids rf'ing when they have vehicles that can't be retrofitted with top tethers.

Thankfully, most vehicles out there now have top tethers, but erf'ing, followed by temporary tethering, are the only legal options for kids under 40lbs when a vehicle can't have a tether anchor retrofitted for whatever reason. (And as we know, it's not always possible to temporary tether.)
 

Ninetales

New member
Pixels said:
US cars have had to have locking seatbelts since 1996. Tether anchors as a requirement were phased in from 2000-2002.

There are exemptions to the tether anchor law in the US, including convertibles. I don't know about Canada.

D'oh. I knew that too, must have had a brain hiccup. It was 2002 for LATCH.
 

gjenny

New member
Trudy, I am in Edmonton too so your Alberta information is bang on for me.

I guess I will find out tomorrow whether I am buying a car or not. Our son is almost big enough to go into a booster, but I had hoped to keep him harnessed until 65 lbs, so unless they can install one, it's a no-go.

:)
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Trudy, I am in Edmonton too so your Alberta information is bang on for me.

I guess I will find out tomorrow whether I am buying a car or not. Our son is almost big enough to go into a booster, but I had hoped to keep him harnessed until 65 lbs, so unless they can install one, it's a no-go.

:)

I'm glad I was able to help. Good luck at the dealership tomorrow, hopefully they're able to give you a clear response.

Most kids are going to outgrow their harness seats by height before 65lbs, but on average, most kids at 4 years old aren't to the point of being mature enough to sit still in a booster even if they do weigh 40lbs already, so I'd consider it very reasonable to want a vehicle with top tethers since you're probably looking at another 6 months to a year at least where you'll want a harnessed seat. (Just a guess without knowing how close kiddo is to 5 or how much he weighs.)

If you're looking for convertibles, I know that the mini cooper convertible has tether anchors. I'm not sure what the back seat is like in terms of space for carseats though. Ford has a convertible with top tether anchors - I'm thinking it's the mustang, but that backseat is really not carseat friendly at all and I'm sure that neither of the seats you own right now would fit properly. (I could see it being near impossible to find a booster that would work either, so it's a car I'd suggest skipping based on the sculpting of the backseat.)

If you like the beetle and aren't set on a convertible, you could always get the regular beetle - it does have top tether anchors. :)
 

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