Middle seat belt installation help

**1iww** · 07-12-2018, 04:35 PM

Long story short, I have a car seat I want to install in the middle of a sedan. It is an Immi Go for a 4 year old. Due to the flexibility of the middle seat belt buckle, getting a secure installation is not feasible. In this car though, the middle seatbelt connects successfully to the buckle "meant" for the right seatbelt. I can connect it securely and it does not come out without pressing the release button. I do not need anyone to sit in the right seat, so crossing the seatbelts is not an issue.

Question 1: Given that the car is "allowing" this whereas most cars the belt is not compatible with the "wrong" buckle, what are the potential safety issues with this?
Question 2: If this is really a concern, which is the lesser of two evils... this installation in the middle (better for side impact) or an installation on the side using LATCH, exposing the child to more side impact?

**Car-Seat.Org** · 07-12-2018 04:35 PM

**MelodyoftheForest** · 07-12-2018, 07:07 PM

What vehicle is this? I believe the Go is easier to install with the lower anchors, and this installation allows more harness height. That could very well negate the benefit of a center install. It is better to use it right every time and have enough harness height for the child to get to a safe booster age than to have it in the center.

**ketchupqueen** · 07-12-2018, 08:33 PM

I would absolutely use lower anchors if available. It's very difficult to ensure a secure seatbelt install with the Go.

**1iww** · 08-12-2018, 05:24 PM

Can anyone answer question #1 about the safety of using the outboard buckle with the center seatbelt? Most cars don't allow there center to connect to anything but the center buckle. So is there any safety issue with this?

**ketchupqueen** · 08-13-2018, 12:40 AM

Unless specifically allowed by the vehicle manual, you shouldn't do that. Seatbelts are designed based on the specific distance between anchors the engineers plan for, and it's best not alter that without the vehicle manufacturer signing off.

**1iww** · 08-15-2018, 09:44 PM

Yes but if the car manual doesn't say not to, and the buckle works, what is the issue?

**ketchupqueen** · 08-16-2018, 03:35 AM

That's something you need to contact the vehicle manufacturer to determine. As I said, it changes the spacing and geometry from how it was tested, which may be problematic in affecting crash performance.