Is it possible to get 3 across in an 07' Toyota Rav4? - Canada

Hello,

I have twin boys who will be turning 4 at the end of August, and am expecting a baby boy at the beginning of August. The twins are currently forward facing in Evenflo Triumph car seats, but they are very big and bulky.

My question is this: Does anyone have experience with fitting 3 car seats in an '07 Rav 4? I was wondering about 2 new Diono seats (previously Radian Sunshine) for the twins as I heard they are quite narrow. They would be on either side, and I was hoping to fit an infant seat in the middle.

#1. Is this possible?
#2. Is is safe?
#3. Does the Rav4 have the proper anchoring to allow for this?
#4. Is it legal?

Any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Hello and welcome! Glad you found us.

I have no experience with your vehicle but I remain optimistic that we can find some combination of seats that will work for you. It is definitely legal and safe assuming that each seat is installed indepedently tight. (In fact I think I have read that seats performed better when installed next to another seat.)

What are your boys' weights and heights? Just wondering if the Radians will last them long or not. You can always pass one down to the baby but if you don't need spare seats it may make sense to investigate options which include a different seat for each of the boys.

You may need to install all three seats with the seatbelt even if you have lower anchors available because the seatbelt allows more flexibility with seat positioning, letting you scoot the outboard seats a bit more outboard than what the LUAS attachments allow.

According to the LATCH Manual, the '05 RAV4 has a tether anchor in the center on the cargo floor (you canNOT borrow the lower anchors from outboard to install in center) and full set of Latch (UAS) in the outboard seats with the tether anchors for your top tether in the back of the seat bottom, so your FF seats can go anywhere in the back seat if you need to rearrange to make everyone fit. You have to route the tether strap under the headrest (the manual says they need to be removed then replaced after tether is "installed").

The Diono seats are a great choice for narrow seats, you could also look at the Safety 1st Complete Air. Once we know if they need more/less weight or height we could offer more suggestions.

Good Luck!

Does your Rav4 have overlapping seatbelts? I'm not sure exactly which years have it. It can make it very difficult, nearly impossible to install 3 carseats safely.

I was just looking into this b/c I was thinking of getting a Rav4 for my next car.

I thought Rav4 had overlapping seat belts until 2010 and if that is the case and you only have the 5 seater version of the Rav4 (no idea when it became a 7 seater?), then *no* you can not fit 3 car seats (or people) across any Rav4 w/ over lapping seat belts.

Your only options would be to de-activate the airbag and put someone in the front seat, or get a new car. Could you trade cars w/ dh?

tam

I know for a fact that the 2010 and 2011 RAV4s have the overlapping belts. I have a 2010. IIRC, the 2012 has them too. I can't remember when they started, but 2006 is ringing a bell.

Someone here posted recently about being able to do 3 across with the overlapping belts. I don't believe the poster was a tech and I don't recalll that the install was checked by a tech, but it might theoretically be possible.

Personally, as I own a RAV4 with the overlapping belts, I would NOT do a 3 across nor a center & outboard install in my vehicle.

You won't be able to use LATCH for the outboard installs, you'll have to use belt installs for all 3 seats in order to make it fit. You also can't borrow the outboard LATCH anchors for the center install. You should use the TAs for the FFg seats.

The Radian would be my first choice of seats to try for a 3 across. You might try a higher seat like a Britax convertible for the baby center instead of an infant bucket. The RN and the Britax convertibles can puzzle well because the RN is so low and the Britax is so high that they can overlap.

If you get it to work, live in the Lower Mainland and want your install checked, there is a clinic in North Delta on the last Sunday in April. PM Quassee for details.

Melissa, I looked at a 2012 last week and the belts certainly looked weird, but not as weird as the pics posted here recently on the Rav4. They have some double belting system for the middle belt. *No* idea if that fixed the problem, left it alone or made it worse. Know that several people on another board told me to stay clear of the Rav4 if I had kids! LOL

No idea on the older/when any of that happened, just looked recently and was disappointed in what I found...

Could OPs Rav4 be old enough that it wasn't a problem yet?

tam

I my RAV4. I think it is a GREAT vehicle for TWO (or less) children. Possibly more on an intermittent basis (ie., carpooling) if you get the 3rd row. We have a large truck as DH's vehicle, so if we needed to transport more than two kids, I'd just use that.

I previously had an Ody, which I also liked, but I pink sparkly heart my RAV4 way more. Of course, I have the V6 and it is like a rocket, which pairs nicely with my lead foot. Weeeeeeee!

I don't understand why someone would say to steer clear of the RAV4 if you have kids. I can see saying that if you have three or more children, but I would highly recommend the vehicle if you have two or less children. I love that it is 4WD, not AWD. I love the fit and finish. The size is great in the city. It is cute, which I love. Oh, and I have the JBL sound system, which rocks (though my girls often ask me to turn it down, which sucks). The only thing I dislike is that the fuel tank is sized for the 4 cyl, so I have to fill it up more than I like -- did I mention that I have the V6 and a lead foot??

I think the rear seatbelts are the same in the 2012 as in my 2010. rav4world forums says they are still the same. This makes sense as there is a redesign coming and it is highly unlikely they would change the belts with a redesign in the works.

I'm pretty sure a 2007 has the overlapping belts, but not 100% certain. OP will know if she does or not, its pretty obvious. Just buckle all the belts and see if they overlap.

I've done it but its been awhile but I don't remember noticing any issues with the belt. I am not a tech though. I'm pretty sure we may have only used seatbelt on middle one and latchs on outboard. Its possible they weren't installed correctly since I know more now than I did than but I know they would've been tight.

IMO, there is zero chance of getting three across using LATCH outboard (center borrowing of outboard LATCH isn't allowed in Toyota cars). The 2009 and newer models are bigger than the old ones and when my seats are installed with LATCH, I can fit a kleenex box between the seats. Not kidding. The only possibility would be belt installs for all three seats. Of that, I am positive.

Too bad my friend sold her Rav about four weeks ago makes me want to go look It was over three years ago so I really only remember kinda. Pretty sure we did generations passenger seatbelt, graco safeseat or scenera center seatbelt, omega outboard but who knows now. Totally possible we didn't indepently tighten them either.

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=213339&highlight=Rav4

Here's a good thread to read. It got a little heated, but eh, we're passionate around here.

Hmm looking at pictures on here I wonder if we put the middle seatbelt in the passenger female part instead oops

I'm so sorry, mom2-3boys, for giving you assurances that it should work when in fact it sounds like it might not. I was not aware of the special issues with the RAV4 belt system. I guess that is why it is a good thing there are a lot of us around here to pick up the slack in case someone misses something. I hope you find a solution that works for your family.

Some of the Rav4 also have an insanely narrow center seating position with large cut-outs for the buckles to "store" in when not in use. I've seen one that I wasn't comfortable with the seat in the center due to the way it sat. I don't remember model year or car seat anymore, but I remember thinking it was ridiculous for a family vehicle.

Rav4 is also one of those vehicles with the recline rules for the seatbacks when using UAS. I don't recall if the same rules apply with seatbelt or not - as rules get more frequent and sometimes complicated, I've quit trying to remember the rules.