Belt Fit on Adult

So now that I am a but more educated on passenger safety I'm starting to notice more and more (I'm sure you know how this goes... )

DH is 6'4" and this weekend in my 2010 Malibu I noticed the belt fit is terrible on him! The shoulder belt is too low even on its highest adjustment and sits on his arm! When I pointed it out to him he agreed but said he encounters that problem in almost every vehicle he's been in! His primary vehicle is our F150 and he says the belt fit is great in there.

So besides taking the truck everywhere is there anything I can do to get a better belt fit for him in the Malibu?

My head is also starting to spin a bit since DS is in the 99th+ percentile for height and is projected to be taller than Dad (at this point - hoping he slows down!) Granted DS is only 3yrs but I don't know if he will be able to get a good belt fit when 5-stepping time comes. The belts in the back seat are even lower than the front & don't adjust! Is this an issue with all sedans? Should I be considering a larger vehicle when replacement time comes?

I don't think there's any way to raise a shoulderbelt . It was a huge problem in my Odyssey, the shoulderbelt was low on all of us. And I really notice high lap belts in cars now, too, some are just up on the belly no matter what size you are!
Short of buying a better fitting car (and that's tough when you are at the top of the percentile range, they really do seem to build everything to fit that 'average' male dummy!), you just have to try to keep the lap belt as low on the lap and the shoulderbelt as much across the chest as you can and hope for the best. Front airags should help with forward motion if the shoulderbelt is sub-par in the front, though. As for the back... maybe you'll need a new car when ds is too big for a highback, or at least when he's too tall for an Incognito?

I wonder what Chevy would say about it if I contacted them.

"Oh, hey, we have a new model that fits bigger folks. How about we trade in your old one at no expense to you?"


Ok, I can dream...

My BF is also 6'4" and I have the same generation Malibu. The shoulder belt fit is terrible and there's not much that can be done. I even have my 6 way adjustable driver's seat all the way down. I need it on the top setting just so it doesn't slide off my shoulder and I'm only 5'3".

I think some of the fit has to do with overall size, not just height. My DH is 6'9" and over 350lbs. As he says, the only thing in this world made for him is the iPhone 6+. He drives a Jeep Liberty and the belt fit is pretty decent. Same in my Saturn Ion and my moms Chevy Cruze. Of course the belt fit is the best in my dads Expedition and better in the F-150 (which will be our next vehicle in a few years).

joolsplus3 said:

"Oh, hey, we have a new model that fits bigger folks. How about we trade in your old one at no expense to you?"





Ok, I can dream...

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I dream of this too! It drives me nuts that my DH will never truly be safe in a vehicle due to his height and weight (yes, he is over weight but still...). His torso is long enough that even in a full size truck he has to lean his seat back more than I'd like to have enough head room to not immediately break his neck in a crash.

I often wonder what professional athletes do... There are a few taller than him...


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My husband is 6'4".

(We used to have a Malibu 2005).

I notice now he just throws the belt over a bulky coat and the fit is bad on the lap part since HE doesn't adjust it safely. I will have to see the shoulder.

I think our kids might be tall as adults too (some of them). 4 YO is 99% already! My brother is 6'6", too.

MUTigers said:

I often wonder what professional athletes do... There are a few taller than him...

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Yeah, DH always says "the world gets uncomfortable after 6'4"" and I can only imagine! I think Shaq & Kobe have custom cars - some after market so not sure how safe that is!

My dd laughs at this Shaq in a Buick commercial (ok, look at his legs, can he really drive that???), "Um, couldn't he just walk, like anywhere, in like, 5 steps?" Shaq Buick Commercial - YouTube

This was a problem I had never considered before, I'll have to look at some of my taller family members next time I'm in a car with them. My husband and I are both 5'7" and 5'9" respectively so we pretty much fit in anything (though there are some larger vehicles that my shortish, very slender husband has driven and looked absolutely ridiculously tiny in).


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AllieK said:

Yeah, DH always says "the world gets uncomfortable after 6'4"" and I can only imagine! I think Shaq & Kobe have custom cars - some after market so not sure how safe that is!

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DHs dad had a 1972 mustang that he and his brothers drove. They unbolted the drivers seat and moved it back 6" to accommodate them. All three have about 36" inseams if they wore pants the normal way. DH got the mustang as his first car. By that time the floor boards were rusted out, but he fit.

joolsplus3 said:

My dd laughs at this Shaq in a Buick commercial (ok, look at his legs, can he really drive that???), "Um, couldn't he just walk, like anywhere, in like, 5 steps?" Shaq Buick Commercial - YouTube

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I love that one too!

It's pretty amazing how the world doesn't accommodate big/tall people. He can drive many cars though, as long as it's at least a mid-size. Nothing rear faces behind him though. Hence the need for a truck!

Try buying a mattress, or a couch, or a lot of houses (ceilings are too low), or clothes...

At times it's almost comical!


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I think the vehicles where the belts emerge out of the seat post are some of the worst fitting ones. On me, they're set too high & go over my neck & belly. With DH, he looms, so it goes up & over. Hate to see him in a crash.

joolsplus3 said:

My dd laughs at this Shaq in a Buick commercial (ok, look at his legs, can he really drive that???), "Um, couldn't he just walk, like anywhere, in like, 5 steps?"

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Dh likes driving like that. Seat tipped back & legs scrunched up. Given his choice, he moves my Passat seat CLOSER to the consul than I have it set. It's crazy.

I'm 5'8. He's supposed to be 6'4 (lost an inch due to injury). But his back is long & legs are rather short. Still, I like my legs so much straighter & not smacking my knee into the steering post each time I draw back to use the brake. I miss driving stick shifts where brake pedals & gas pedals are even. :crying: He seems to like being stuffed in, just like Shaq. I don't get it. :scratcheshead:

Because his torso is probably the same as someone about 6'7, seatbelts are hit & miss. Oh, I won't even go into crappy headrest heights. :thumbsdown:
My 03' Passat fits him well. But after my experience in the latest 2015 version where I sat very high despite on the lowest setting, yet could barely see under the visor & out the front window. Then the seat cushions forced my legs to be pressed together. I don't think he'd even be able to jam himself in there. Hopefully, his search for a 'new' car will be simple.

Too bad they don't make a list of the vehicles fitting larger & smaller people. So much easier to not waste time testing out those which clearly won't fit a tall family like us. *sigh*.

Morganthe said:

Too bad they don't make a list of the vehicles fitting larger & smaller people. So much easier to not waste time testing out those which clearly won't fit a tall family like us. *sigh*.

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They're out there! There are several forums for big And tall people that have this type of info on vehicles. I don't know what they are off the top of my head, but I do know DH has been on them many times.



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