1998 Dodge stratus built in car seat

U

Unregistered

Guest
We are looking at buying a 1998 Dodge Stratus that has a built in car seat and we are wondering what the safety ratings for it are. We have looked around and can't find it anywhere. If someone knows where we can look at these safety ratings or safety ratings of other built in car seats that would be great. Thanks for your help!!!
 
ADS

Melizerd

New member
wow I didn't even know they had built in carseats then.

*I* don't think that I would personally use any built in carseat in a used car unless I knew for a fact that it had never been occupied in a crash. It would just not be something I would be willing to do.

I can't imagine it would be very comfy.

I have a 98 Plymouth Breeze, same model as the Stratus and I have my Marathon installed in the center position and love it.
 

ThreeBeans

New member
While I am not familiar with the Stratus built-in (i've actually never heard of it), I don't advise anyone to use them for full time use. They provide no side impact protection and generally are not equipped with adjustable harnesses.
 

lovinwaves

New member
Do you maybe mean the Dodge Caravan?

Here is an excerpt from www.car-safety.org

Integrated Child Safety Seats. These are often touted as a safety feature, but may not be the best choice for a primary child restraint. On the plus side, they are always installed properly and they are very convenient to fold away for an adult passenger. They are certainly very safe if they fit your child properly and are used correctly. There are some important disadvantages to consider before insisting on having a built-in carseat:

* Emergency personnel often prefer to remove a child in a separate carseat. This keeps the child immobilized in case of head/spinal injury, and allows for safer transport in the ambulance.


* Integrated seats do not function rear-facing. Rear-facing is safest for children, and many aftermarket models allow for rear-facing use to 30 or 35 lbs.


* Integrated seats do not usually have any form of side impact protection. Many aftermarket seats have some form of protection, and a few have special foam or plastic specifically for side impacts. Deep wells on the side also help keep a sleeping child's head more upright.


* Harnesses on some integrated seats can be difficult to adjust, and may not fit tightly, especially on smaller children. This can lead to an unsafe fit, and make it easier for a child to remove all or part of the restraint. Some integrated seats have limited or no harness height adjustment, a feature found on most aftermarket seats. This means a child may be too tall for an integrated seat well before they exceed the weight limit.


* Using an integrated carseat as your primary restraint may leave you without a method to transfer your child to another vehicle (relative, caregiver, vehicle being repaired, etc)


* The comfort on some integrated seats is far below the level found on most aftermarket carseats. Integrated seats also tend to be less comfortable for an adult when folded.


* Optional integrated seats are often more expensive than most aftermarket child restraints.
 

cpsaddict

New member
I'm pretty sure the Stratus sedan has a seat that folds out of the middle position. It looks like an armrest folded up and then when folded out, it looks like a car seat.

My biggest concern would be not knowing the full history of the car and the seat. Being that it is 9 yrs old, someone may forget one thing or another that may have happened over the years, KWIM? The other big one is the no side impact protection. Comfort is also a concern. They also only harness until 40lbs and many kids are not ready for a booster at 40lbs, thus making another harnessed seat necessary.

Bottom line, I would only use it in an emergency.

ETA: I have never seen any actual ratings for built-in seats, so I have no idea where to even start on that one.
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
Regardless of the seat's position in the car, the shell of the seat serves to absorb energy otherwise transferred to the child, no?

I have no idea, that's why I asked! :D

I thought SIP was important in carseats because otherwise their heads hit the hard plastic shell; and it's important in booster seats because there's no harness to prevent them from hitting the side of the vehicle?
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I personally would not worry about 'SIP' in a harnessed seat in the center (or even a booster, really, in the center with a shoulderbelt)...there's the vehicle side structure and then like a foot of crush space (air) before an oncoming car could get to the kid in the middle, and a harness will be holding the child in place very well, so no real need for plastic or foam surrounding the head, I don't think. I'd happily use a built in seat if: I knew the history of it (it might be crashed, it might be fraying somewhere, it might have been barfed on and bleached...I'd want to know!), If it were comfortable and fit my child properly, and If I had a backup seat for other cars. I bet the crash tests on these things would be fantastic... probably better than even a Radian or Futura, which perform(ed) great because they start the kiddo out so low and far back in the seat.

:twocents:
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
That's what I was thinking (jools' post). SIP is to protect the head from impacting the side of the carseat or the car, not to prevent crash forces from being transferred to the harness.
 

cpsaddict

New member
I guess I wasn't thinking Side Impact Protection so much as comfort side to side. The complete lack of sides seems odd for a car seat. I just saw a kid the other day in a Dodge something or other(big sedan thing) built in and his poor head was bobbing up and down and just hanging there. It could not be comfortable to have ones head hanging like that.
I don't know. Built ins are probably really safe, but the age on this one scares me. Nine years is a long time.:shrug-shoulders: :question:
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I guess I wasn't thinking Side Impact Protection so much as comfort side to side. The complete lack of sides seems odd for a car seat. I just saw a kid the other day in a Dodge something or other(big sedan thing) built in and his poor head was bobbing up and down and just hanging there. It could not be comfortable to have ones head hanging like that.
I don't know. Built ins are probably really safe, but the age on this one scares me. Nine years is a long time.:shrug-shoulders: :question:

I agree, Jacky...I put my kids in one of those seats in a rental van and they griped and moaned till I put them back in their nice comfy Britax Bodyguards :thumbsup:
 

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