Question Truck does not have tether anchors! Please help!

Hi! I have a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 truck with a 4 door crew cab. It does not have tether anchors for FF. I have called GM, and they don't make retrofit parts anymore. I have searched the internet, but all of the things that I have found about my truck were old threads (like 2013 and before lol). I found an EZ on family vehicle anchor that I thought may work, but when I asked on a facebook group they said that no aftermarket tether anchors were approved and safe. Basically I was told that my only options were to keep her RF until she is ready for a booster or to get a new car. Neither of those answers really work for me. I have a chicco nextfit for her, and want her in a 5pt harness for as long as possible. She is 4yo and about to be 40lbs which maxes out the nextfits rear face limits, so I'd have to get a new carseat that would RF longer. RF her would only work for a year or 2 more until technical "booster readiness", but I don't want her in a booster that early. Getting a new vehicle is an unrealistic thing at this point... the truck is in great shape and paid off, and we can't afford a new vehicle right now. Do I really have no options? Thanks for your help!

I think you've listed the options.

In your situation, I would probably just watch for a sale on a Graco Extend2Fit, use it rear facing until it's outgrown, and then booster. It will probably last at least 2 years (they just don't gain weight that quickly at that age) and boostering a normally developing 6 year old is absolutely fine. (Full disclosure: my 7.5 year old and my 5 year old are both harnessed in our long-haul vehicle, and boostered in the strictly-around-town vehicle. The harness for the older one is mostly about inertia, not safety concerns.)

The EZ-On tether anchor is not approved by vehicle manufacturers or restraint manufacturers (other than EZ-On) but I believe EZ-On has approved it for use with other restraints. People around here have chosen it as an option that's pretty clearly better than not tethering.

So I got ahold of ez on, and they told me that it's approved for use in my vehicle. I'm going to order one and have it installed. My next question is how do I find out where the anchor is supposed to go? The manual says that they can be installed (but that was in 1999, and GM doesn't make it anymore), so clearly there is a place for them to go. Would a dealership be able to tell me?

IIRC, that spot isn't likely to work anyway. The EZ-On anchor is a heavy duty tether anchor, so the bolt may not fit through the hole for the standard tether anchor. It comes with instructions. I think most people just take it to a mechanic.

When I was researching placing a tether anchor for someone, I found a place that did handicapped vehicle conversions that told me over the phone they would do it.