Question Install tether anchor in 1999 Mercedes ML320?

Hi

My daughter's just about ready to move into a booster seat and we'd love to get one of those with the 5 point harness, but most of them seem to require the top tether. Our car (1999 Mercedes ML 320 SUV) doesn't have an anchor for this. I'm trying to find out if its possible to retrofit one and if so what part number is required. Can anyone help? The local dealer doesn't have a clue what I'm talking about

Thanks

Karen

Hi there.

Your daughter is moving to a combination seat (harness to booster) or a booster seat (seat without an integrated harness)? In the US there are very few that require top tethers, but it's highly recommended. Your daughter is rear facing now? How old and heavy is she?

Someone with a LATCH manual will be along shortly. Mine is MIA during my recent move or I'd help you out myself.

Wendy

Thanks for the reply.

She's 4 1/2 and about 40 lbs. She is currently in a forward facing seat (without a top tether - hadn't realised the possible safety issues with this until I started investigating bootster seats).

We're looking for a combination seat (the one we liked the look of is the Britax Frontier 90 which recommends using the top tether). She seems a bit small to us yet (she's short for her age) to put in one of the seats without an integrated harness but as she is at the weight limit of her current seat we have to get something else.

Karen

The LATCH manual doesn't list the ML320 as retrofittable with a top tether anchor, unfortunately, and here's what it states about pre-2000 model year Mercedes built before Sept. 1, 1999 which is very discouraging and basically saying it cannot be retrofitted: "There are no provisions (e.g., drill dimples, holes) in U.S. Mercedes-Benz vehicles manufactured before 9/1/1999 (other than those models listed below, and the ML320 isn't a listed model) for tether anchors. Retrofit kits are not available. Mercedes-Benz does not recommend retrofitting these vehicles with any generic anchor kit, including those provided by specialty child restraint manufacturers. Due to the way Mercedes-Benz vehicles are manufactured, tether anchor installation in certain vehicles would require expensive steps, such as removing the rear window."

Now if by some chance you're in Canada and have a Canadian market Mercedes (or for Canadians who are lurking and wondering since Canada requires top tethering forward facing harnessed carseats), the LATCH manual states: "Canadian vehicles: Tether anchors have been factory-installed since 1986. Canadian and U.S. part numbers are the same."

The Graco Nautilus is known to perform well without the top tether. That is probably the seat I would use in a situation where a tether retrofit was not an option.

Thank you so much for looking this up. Its not the answer I hoped for (we're not in Canada unfortunately) but at least we now know we need to look for an alternative seat.

Karen

Thanks for the suggestion, Monica. I'll look into that