crazy top tether - reason to read vehicle manual

Melanie

New member
I'm not sure where exactly to post this, so please feel free to move.

My kids occasionally ride in an 07 Honda Ridgeline. Everything seemed straightforward for installations. I've even posted on how great this truck is and how easy installs are.

Today I was looking something up in the manual and realized the thing that I've been using for a top tether isn't one! It looks just like the top tether anchor in a sedan. It has a similar bar and under a plastic lid. It turns out this is just the tether guide. The tether is routed through the tether guide and attaches to an anchor that is either on the vehicle floor at the edge of the seat for outboard or near the lower LATCH anchors for the middle.

I'm not a tech, and I'll admit I should have read the vehicle manual before ever installing car seats. But I've never heard of doing it this crazy way. Goes to show we really should reading the vehicle manual every time.

I'm a bit worried about tethers on my Britax seats fitting through this tether guide.

Anyone else ever seen a vehicle like this?
 
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Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
I've seen Ford and Chevy trucks that have webbed "loops," where you route the tether through the loop and then attach it to the loop behind an adjacent seat.

So, the routing bit isn't "new" to me, but I've never seen them where they look like normal tether anchors. Weird!
 

Murphy's Law

New member
I just finished my CPST class last week and they were showing us a different one. It was in a Sienna pick up truck and although there were 3 anchor points across the back, there were also loops in front of them, so (per the vehicle manual) you passed the tether through the loop and then anchored it to the next anchor over - for instance an outboard seat would have the tether pass through the outboard loop behind the seat but the tether would hook to the center anchor. It was bizarre! Great reason to read the manual!
 

Starlight

Senior Community Member
This is precisely what Defrost and I were talking about - I think most trucks have something like this. :D
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Yup, pickup trucks tend to have more exotic top tether anchors.

Note to Murphy's Law: the Sienna is a minivan, not a pickup. ;) Congrats on taking the CPST course. :thumbsup: P.S. I bet you were talking about a Sierra pickup. I took me a while to think of a similar pickup model name. :)
 
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Murphy's Law

New member
Yup, pickup trucks tend to have more exotic top tether anchors.

Note to Murphy's Law: the Sienna is a minivan, not a pickup. ;) Congrats on taking the CPST course. :thumbsup: P.S. I bet you were talking about a Sierra pickup. I took me a while to think of a similar pickup model name. :)

Oops. That's exactly what I meant! :)
 

mish

New member
We have a Chevy Silverado that you have to loop the tether through. Talk about a pain in the butt. I never feel like I am getting it tight enough. Also, before I was a tech, I took my seat to one and he tethered it to the anchor right behind the seat. And he had looked at the manual! I should have double checked, but I didn't think I had to. I had taken it to someone who supposedly knew what they were doing. It took me forever to get it off of there when I needed to move it.
 

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