4 children in a crew cab truck

After having our fourth child last week, I've been looking at ways to reconfigure my truck to allow all 6 of us to ride together.

I have a GMC Sierra crew cab with the SLT option (front bucket seats w/middle console), that for the past 3 years has fit the 5 of us nicely (3 kids/booster seats in the rear). I've seen many folks who have removed the front console & added the factory OEM folding jump seat as a sixth seat. That's fine & all, but I'm concerned with the front airbags affecting a middle front seat & lack of a three point seatbelt that comes along with the jump seat, so I called GM to ask them their thoughts.

Obviously for liability issues, they would not recommend replacing the console for a middle seat (although their standard OEM bench seat is exactly that; 2 bucket seats with a folding jump seat), nor would they give me anymore information on retrofitting. I then asked them about a new stock SLE truck with the standard bench seat (again, which includes the folding jump seat) and how the airbags & single seatbelt would affect the middle seat. They said that no seat in the front was acceptable for children in a crew cab configuration & declined any further comments on that issue.

Any thoughts on what can be done to accomodate all 6 of us?? I don't want to compromise the safety of any of us (especially the little guys), but I'd really like to be able to use the truck for family trips, etc.

I know I can replace the console with the jump seat & buy an air bag on/off switch for the passenger side, but my concerns are;

1.) how to deal with the front middle lap belt (how to convert it to lap/shoulder)
2.) who to have ride in the front; kids ages are ages 7, 5.5, 3 (all currently in booster seats) & new born (in rear facing infant seat)
3.) does anyone know if the drivers airbag could/would affect someone in the middle??

HELP!!!!

Hi-

If GM does not recommend using the middle seat for a child passenger, we would not be able to offer you any additional advice. In general, we always defer to vehicle and child restraint manufacturers for correct use.

Unfortunately, it is never a good idea to have kids 12 and under in the front seat, regardless if an airbag is present/active or not. The proximity of the child's head to the dash and A-pillar are the major concerns. The possibility of intrustion is also a much greater issue in the front seat since it is much closer to the point of contact in frontal and frontal offset crashes, which are the most common and severe crashes. Plus, kids in seatbelts and boosters are sometimes slouching or otherwise out of position, and that increased the risk of injury. The statistics show the risks better than any explanation-

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/spotlite/chldseat.htm

Kids in the Back for a Safer Ride

All children ages 12 years and younger should ride in the back seat, the safest part of a vehicle in the event of a crash. This is especially important for vehicles with front passenger-side airbags. Riding in the back seat is associated with at least a 30% reduction in the risk of fatal injury in cars without front passenger side airbags. Placing children in the back seat of vehicles with front passenger side airbags reduces this risk by 46%. Infants in rear-facing child safety seats should never be placed in a seat in front of an airbag. About one-third of children ages 12 years and younger who were killed in 2000 were riding in the front seat.

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If you are looking for a new vehicle, I'd highly recommend a minivan for safety. Even some of the larger SUVs and full size vans would be a safer option than having kids 12 or under in the front seat. Many can seat 7-10 passengers safely. You can find some suggestions at http://www.suvsafety.info/thirdrow.html .

As for your other questions-

1) You probably cannot safely convert this seat to a lap/shoulder belt unless GM provides a kit specific to your vehicle. I am not aware of any newer vehicles that have such an option.

2) This would have to be judged in person by a local technician at a child seat inspection. It depends on your children, vehicle seats and what child seats are available. Based on what you listed, my first suggestion might be to put the 3 year old in a child seat with a 5-point harness and then put that child seat in the front passenger seat. Another option would be to apply to the NHTSA for an airbag on/off switch. With the airbag off, it would be possible to put the rear-facing infant seat in the front passenger seat. Of course, these options would leave your spouse in the front middle seat without a shoulder belt, and that is also very dangerous for them.

3) In general, the passenger side airbag covers the front-middle and passenger side seats. Even so, there could be some overlap from the driver airbag to the middle- it's impossible to tell unless GM has a photo on their website with the airbags inflated. That's why having an airbag on/off switch is not a good idea in your situation. While it should improve the safety of the child, it would put your spouse at even greater risk in the front center seat:-(

I realize this probably isn't the answer you wanted to hear. Unfortunately, there are some situations where we cannot safely fit all the passengers that need to ride in the vehicle. In your situation, someone's safety will be compromised and only you could make that decision...

Thanks for your response.

I understand the liability stuff & deferring to what GM says, but what I don't understand is that they (GM) offer basically the same truck with the bench seat option (including the front "jump" seat with a lap belt only) AND a factory installed on/off airbag switch . . . . why???

Another vehicle is not an option, so I'm trying hard to deal with this while not compromising safety. So, with that being said . . . .

What do you think of this as an option . . . . installing the airbag on/off switch (not sure if just passenger or both passenger & driver), getting a "special needs" seat (like the Britax traveller plus, up to 100 lbs & I believe they only need a lap belt to secure them) & putting my 7 year old in this seat in the front center. Or we could put the rear-facing infant seat (again, only needs the lap belt to secure it) in the front center . . .

Thoughts??

I can't begin to guess why GM would restrict a child from being in the center jump seat. It may well be a safety related reason, it's impossible to say. That's why technicians can't give advice contrary to a manufacturer, since we don't have any of the technical reasons behind any particular recommendation.

If the manufacturer allowed a child restraint to be installed in the front center seat, then the Britax Traveller Plus (or the Husky which is nearly identical) might be an option if it fit correctly. The Husky and Traveller Plus are very wide, however, and can be difficult to fit in narrow center seating positions. In addition, they require a top tether to be used above 50 pounds, and I suspect a top tether anchor will not be available for the front center seating position.

Any other seats you are aware of that do not have the tether . .

What are your thoughts about the reaf facing infant seat in the middle (provided that the manufacturer allowed a child restraint to be installed in the front center seat)

Would the Britax Wizard work?? Says up to 65 lbs . . Does it need to be tethered??

The Husky is about the only current seat with a 5-point harness that could accomodate an average 7-year old. There are vests, but those also require a top tether.

A rear-facing seat can be used in front, provided the passenger side airbag is disabled and there is absolutely no risk of driver side airbag interaction. To use one in a front, center seat would really require assuance from the manufacturer that the driver side airbag would not interfere with the rear-facing carseat. If there is any chance the driver side airbag could strike the rear-facing seat, it would be very dangerous.

As you can see, there are few seats that can work in this situation, and many issues of airbag interaction, not to mention that fit could be a problem if the seatbelt and seating position are narrow. One possibility is that GM just saw so many possibilities for misuse and serious injury that they decided to recommend against putting any child in that spot. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with this vehicle, so I can't really provide any first hand advice.

Unregistered said:

Would the Britax Wizard work?? Says up to 65 lbs . . Does it need to be tethered??

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The Wizard may not be tall enough for a typical 7 year old, and might not even fit taller 5.5 year olds. In addition to the weight limit, Britax advises not to use it if the top of the child's ears are above the top of the shell, or if the top of the shoulders are above the level of the top harness slots. It should work fine for a 3-year old, however. In fact, I think the Marathon and Wizard would be a safer alternative to a booster seat for your 3-year old in any case. We recommend the use of a 5-point harness to a minimum of 40 pounds.

The Wizard should be tethered for maximum safety, but it does not have the 50 pound tether requirement like the Husky.