2000 Venture- No tether points??? Help!!

I'm expecting twins in January and have a 2 y/o. I plan on putting the twins in the second row and my older child in the rear. I tried to install a new Britax Husky in the 3rd row outboard and the lap/shoulder belt is too short (the seat IS enormous). I can't go the short installation route without using the tether, but there appears to be nowhere to put it. I called the dealer and he said there may be one where the seat back meets the seating surface. I saw something, but would the tether point be on the back of the seat? This doesn't make sense to me.
I wish we could afford a new van, but that's not in the cards.
Any suggestions/advice?

Thanks.
Michele

You mean the tether is on the backside of the seat, down at the bottom? Yes, thats normal. thats where mine are.
If in doubt, you can check your owners manual, it should identify them.
The Husky HAS to be tethered when the child reaches 50 lbs, so you'd need to tether it eventually either way.
I'll run out and take pics of my tether to see if mine is like you're describing.

See the little black square? thats the tether anchor, on the 3rd row, passenger side outboard (though, all 5 of them in my van look the same and are in the same position in relation to the seat)


Thats my Husky, tethered in the middle row, outboard.

Thanks for the pictures. The piece on my van does not look like that. When I brought it to the dealer, the parts guy said that what I was looking at was not the tether point. Each seat has one though. It looks like a black metal square with a hole in it.
They also said they would't install a tether point for me. Is this common?

Did you check your manual?
We have a 98 Venture and our tether anchors are
under the plastic where the 3 rd row seat belts are anchored
to the vehicle...you just pull the plastic piece up and to the side
and there they are (it sounds easier than it is ), the location
was in my manual but I didn't understand until the service guy
at the dealership showed it to me...they also put an extra tether in for free
for the 2nd row center seat.
Perhaps the co. policy on installing tethers is different in the states
but up here in Canada most dealerships will install 1 tether for free
if your car is less than 10 years old.
It could be different since we are required to use tethers up here.

HTH!
Holly

Just a thought, does the 3rd row seat slide back farther so you can use the long belt path? On my van, I can't use the long path if the seat is all the way forward, it has to be at least half-way back for the seat belt to be long enough.

I'm not sure about a 2000 Venture, but we had a 1998 Venture for a little while and tether anchors weren't available for the third row. I believe the manual said something like if you need to use the tether put the child restraint in a different seat. Helpful, eh?

Julie

Thanks everyone! Julie, I took your advice and was able to go the long route. Also, finally FOUND the owner's manual and those things on the back of the seats are tethers-- Incredible that the guy at the first dealership told me they weren't--they don't look like the ones posted though. DD is only 25 lbs, but it's nice to know that the seat is secure.

Much obliged!!

We also have a 2 year old and expecting twins. Looking at a 2000 Chevy Venture for a cheap second car. How did it work out for you?????

nightbird1103 said:

I called the dealer and he said there may be one where the seat back meets the seating surface. I saw something, but would the tether point be on the back of the seat? This doesn't make sense to me.

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It sounds like the dealer is confusing LATCH with a top tether.

LATCH is the system that allows you to use the latch strap with the clips/hooks instead of the seatbelt to install the seat in the vehicle (to a certain weight, then seatbelt must be used). The LATCH anchors are located where teh seating surface meets the seat back, also called the "bight" of the seat. They were not mandatory on vehicles until 2002 or so, so vehicles before then will be hit or miss with them, and you cannot get a LATCH system retro-fitted/installed.

Top tether anchors are usually behind the vehicle seat, in the floorboard, or even on the roof of some vehicles. They can easily be confused with cargo tie-downs, so look for a picture of a baby seat with a hook, or a boat anchor near the tether anchor. Always double check your vehicle owner's manual for top tether anchor locations. Top tether anchors CAN be retrofitted in vehicles that did not come with them, but most vehicles that have at least one tether anchor cannot have more added (most- but not all). I don't have a LATCH manual handy or I would check your vehicle in it for reference.

Check the owner's manual on your seat as well (and if you give us the model number we can check for potential recalls- My regent had a recall that affected the warning labels, but they sent me a new latch strap and new cover)- I know the Regent (formerly called the Husky) wanted children of a certain weight to use long belt path, then another weight had to use short belt path. When was your seat made? Britax seats have a 6 year lifespan (except the new ones just coming out- believe they are 7 years.) and the husky may be nearing that, so just something to keep in mind.

OP, the black box with the hole it it is the tether anchor. It's a PITA to get the tether on, but my trick was to snap the tether clip onto the bottom part of the circle, and rotate it around so it was positioned properly. I've also heard that if you flip the seat forward it's easier to get the tether attached, but that never helped me.

Unregistered said:

We also have a 2 year old and expecting twins. Looking at a 2000 Chevy Venture for a cheap second car. How did it work out for you?????

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If you have any choice, I would not get a Venture or clone (Montana, Sillhouette etc). The crash tests are horrendous. I had a 2001 Venture and was very happy when I traded it in (and a month later I was in a crash that totaled the new car, but I'm sure would have been MUCH worse in the Venture). :twocents:

FYI, this thread is 5 years old, so I imagine the only question that needs to be addressed is the one below. OP probably isn't going to see new posts.

Unregistered said:

We also have a 2 year old and expecting twins. Looking at a 2000 Chevy Venture for a cheap second car. How did it work out for you?????

Click to expand...