7 Seat 2012 Dodge Journey

Lavendyr

New member
We just purchased a 2012 Dodge Journey with 7 seats. We have 3 kids age 6 months, 20 months and 4.5 years. We currently put all 3 seats in the middle row. We have one rear facing and two front facing. Is there any way to put a car seat in the third row?? Our oldest would like to sit in the back row and have the two younger ones in the middle row. Would we just put the carseat in using the seatbelt as I don't think the third row has anchors?
 
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Keeks64

New member
Hi There
what car seats do you have?

How much do your children weigh?

There are no UAS anchors in the 3rd row so it would need to be a seatbelt but there is no top tether anchor either so you would not be able to install a forward facing car seat back there.

Is your 4.5 year old over 40lbs? Can she sit properly for an entire car ride? (No moving out of position, no bothering siblings or bending over to pick up toys etc ...) she would essentially be in charge of her own safety in a booster & I haven't met many 4.5 year olds capable of this.

I haven't found a booster that offers proper belt fit in the 3rd row either. It's got a very very shallow foot well a short seat back. Someone else may chime in with a possible booster that might work.

The other issue with moving someone to the 3rd row is being able to fold the seat forward to access the 3rd row. You would likely need to load from the hatch into the 3rd row - leave one seat folded down in the 3rd & child would climb over & into their seat.

I had a 2009 7 passenger journey & have a 2012 5 passenger now & it's definitely a tricker vehicle to work with multiple seats.
 

Lavendyr

New member
Hi Keeks64..thanks for your response. Sounds like we should have researched this a bit better BEFORE we bought. Oops. Bought on a whim. I wanted the caravan but my husband is so anti van! So it sounds as though putting anyone in the third row is just not a safe idea right now. But it's perfectly safe to do 3 across the middle row then right? Because I came across some article that said only 2 car seats in the middle row or two in the back..but that didn't make much sense to me and def wouldn't work for us!
 

Keeks64

New member
Hi Keeks64..thanks for your response. Sounds like we should have researched this a bit better BEFORE we bought. Oops. Bought on a whim. I wanted the caravan but my husband is so anti van! So it sounds as though putting anyone in the third row is just not a safe idea right now. But it's perfectly safe to do 3 across the middle row then right? Because I came across some article that said only 2 car seats in the middle row or two in the back..but that didn't make much sense to me and def wouldn't work for us!

It's very tricky to do a proper 3 across but it's do able depending on the seats.

I know the SureRide is 3 across friendly with the right infant seat & a radian. It will greatly depend too on the direction of the car seat. For instance a rear facing radian works in the centre but a forward facing one does not , radians install like a dream outboard though :)

Which car seats do you currently have?! We might be able to help you do a 3 across without having to use the awkward 3rd row :)
 

Lavendyr

New member
Ok! Thanks so much for your help..
We have the 4.5 year old in an Evenflo Maestro (using 5 pt harness currently) She is just 40lbs btw. And 44inches if that matters
The 20 month old is front facing forward in Graco MyRide 65
And the 6 month old is rear facing in a Safety 1st Scenera.

Right now we have the Evenflo Maestro in the middle, scenera behind passenger and MyRide behind driver.
 

Keeks64

New member
Ok! Thanks so much for your help.. We have the 4.5 year old in an Evenflo Maestro (using 5 pt harness currently) She is just 40lbs btw. And 44inches if that matters The 20 month old is front facing forward in Graco MyRide 65 And the 6 month old is rear facing in a Safety 1st Scenera. Right now we have the Evenflo Maestro in the middle, scenera behind passenger and MyRide behind driver.

Thanks for that info!

With the seats you have now are they all independently tight?

If you install them all, then remove the middle car seat , do the 2 outboard seats move less than 1" at the belt path? Are you able to re-install the centre seat with less than 1" of movement at the belt path?

How close are the outboard seats when the door is closed?

All 3 installed with seatbelts?
 

Lavendyr

New member
My husband does all the installing..and he had used the anchors. But I told him last night from the reading I was doing he should be using the seatbelts. Correct? Do you think will we need new seats??
 

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